The premise of the film is highly original and promising with heaps of comedic potential due to its various zany scenarios and eccentric characters. For instance, I appreciated the minimal exposition, throwing us straight into the 'runaway bride' drama, or so it appeared... which worked excellently with quick cuts and the joyfully quirky score to tonally convey what the film encapsulates from the offset.
One of the most brilliant aspects of the film and Natalie Malla's writing is that it's full of ironic juxtapositions. In particular, the presence of Rob in the script, a guy covered in gold spray paint, posing as Henry VIII next to a park bench who turns out to be the most grounded and seemingly stable character within the script, is pure gold.
Helm's Rob, is a complete stand out for me with his effortless comedic timing. His delivery and ability to switch from sarcastically blunt to emotional and considerate is plaudible. Olivia's Poulet's Emily however, just didn't stand up to Helm's performance. Though her character and situation is farce and over the top, I believe the dialogue to have been too on the nose at some points and the delivery lacking believability.
The cinematography was also rather stagnant for me, especially during the park sequences. Reverting to the shot reverse with little other coverage made it feel a little more theatrical than cinematic. Feel they wasted the chance to utilise both camerawork and editing to heighten the comedy even more here. Thankfully, this changed during the second half of the film where Whyte's camerawork tracks Emily as she crawls through the church seats; the movement here worked perfectly alongside James Jones' humorous and playful score which paralleled beautifully with Emily's motions and emotions making the scene that more hilarious.
The second half of the film on the whole was rather disappointing, compared to the well-paced first half. It seems much too rushed, neglected even. The cuts to the wedding guests were pretty unnecessary particularly as we only focus on Emily for the duration of the scene. I did appreciate the decision to do this, but feel missing out her reaction to the vows may have been a mistake, as it may have helped us warm to and empathise with her character more.
On the whole, an easy watch with a quirky little narrative, characters and set up. I just felt the execution of all of these aspects needed a little finessing along with sharpening up the dialogue and reworking elements of the second half of the film.
One of the most brilliant aspects of the film and Natalie Malla's writing is that it's full of ironic juxtapositions. In particular, the presence of Rob in the script, a guy covered in gold spray paint, posing as Henry VIII next to a park bench who turns out to be the most grounded and seemingly stable character within the script, is pure gold.
Helm's Rob, is a complete stand out for me with his effortless comedic timing. His delivery and ability to switch from sarcastically blunt to emotional and considerate is plaudible. Olivia's Poulet's Emily however, just didn't stand up to Helm's performance. Though her character and situation is farce and over the top, I believe the dialogue to have been too on the nose at some points and the delivery lacking believability.
The cinematography was also rather stagnant for me, especially during the park sequences. Reverting to the shot reverse with little other coverage made it feel a little more theatrical than cinematic. Feel they wasted the chance to utilise both camerawork and editing to heighten the comedy even more here. Thankfully, this changed during the second half of the film where Whyte's camerawork tracks Emily as she crawls through the church seats; the movement here worked perfectly alongside James Jones' humorous and playful score which paralleled beautifully with Emily's motions and emotions making the scene that more hilarious.
The second half of the film on the whole was rather disappointing, compared to the well-paced first half. It seems much too rushed, neglected even. The cuts to the wedding guests were pretty unnecessary particularly as we only focus on Emily for the duration of the scene. I did appreciate the decision to do this, but feel missing out her reaction to the vows may have been a mistake, as it may have helped us warm to and empathise with her character more.
On the whole, an easy watch with a quirky little narrative, characters and set up. I just felt the execution of all of these aspects needed a little finessing along with sharpening up the dialogue and reworking elements of the second half of the film.