Jonathan Demme's return to the limelight provided a doozy of a role for Anne Hathaway as Kym, a former drug and alcohol addict who's just got out of rehab in time for her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. Arguments, revelations, tears and reconciliations follow.
The first half of the film is its most effective, where we get to see Kym struggle with her return to family life. She's attention-seeking, irritating, lonely and quick to take offence, often all of these things in quick succession. Thanks to a finely-tuned script from Jenny Lumet and the excellent performances from Hathaway and DeWitt, we completely understand why the two sisters rub each other up the wrong way. It's this central dynamic that powers the film, and whether they're tearing bits off each other or, in a tender, silent moment at the end of the film, reaching some sort of understanding, it's difficult to take your eyes from them.
Whilst Demme's naturalistic direction works wonders in the early, more troubled scenes, it becomes aimless, even dull later on. The seemingly endless wedding speeches are nothing compared to the wedding itself. It's sentimental and boring, the way these events often are, but they lack the dramatic fizz that made the movie so compelling beforehand. These portraits of troubled family life have become a staple of independent American cinema, but this is an interesting, astute addition to the canon and one that will no doubt cement Hathaway's place in the A-list.
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