Altman's large collage films-i.e. Nashville, Gosford Park, Short Cuts-are what he is known for. He was the master of this form. I am pretty sure this is his most extreme example of this type. I have just watched it for the first time and I think there are 48 named characters and about 15 plots. The amount of information conveyed is staggering. It is not as smooth as it is in Gosford Park or as economic as it is in Nashville. Unlike those fine films I found some of the characters a little hard to keep track of-it might have to do with everyone being in similar dress because of the setting. Regardless, the attentive viewer will be able to follow the main points easily enough; because the film is mocking marriage customs the big beats in the story are really obvious and straight forward. I think this film teaches you how to watch an Altman film in that the main through-line is *never* unclear. Following the steps in the wedding reception makes Nashville's political campaign central chunk more apparent.
With that being said this is a wonderfully daft film. It is farcical, laugh out loud funny. The various reveals-especially the finale-are all shocking while building on the prior scenes logically. The film is almost as sharply observed on class, social standings as Gosford Park and the two films should be watched together to get a better sense of what each says. The film has a zest for life and its overall vibe is that Altman-isque tragicomic.
The acting is of course wonderful. I particularly liked John Cromwell (the Bishop) and Pat McCormick ("Mack"). The actors were all loose and clearly having a ton of fun making this film and a great deal of them had to play open, ravenous sexuality. The film feels very today in its treatment of sex, including strikingly enough lesbians and gay men.
With that being said this is a wonderfully daft film. It is farcical, laugh out loud funny. The various reveals-especially the finale-are all shocking while building on the prior scenes logically. The film is almost as sharply observed on class, social standings as Gosford Park and the two films should be watched together to get a better sense of what each says. The film has a zest for life and its overall vibe is that Altman-isque tragicomic.
The acting is of course wonderful. I particularly liked John Cromwell (the Bishop) and Pat McCormick ("Mack"). The actors were all loose and clearly having a ton of fun making this film and a great deal of them had to play open, ravenous sexuality. The film feels very today in its treatment of sex, including strikingly enough lesbians and gay men.