If you know me then you know I’m a hopeless romantic who loves romantic comedies, but Mike Newell’s Four Weddings and A Funeral, a much applauded film, is one that I’d never seen before. Seeing it this late in life was a bit more fun seeing as how the entire cast is some familiar face from one of my much loved British comedies or films. You’ve got Doctor Who guests here and there, actors from The Thin Blue Line, The Vicar of Dibley, John Hannah of Mummy fame, the beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas and of course Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell. It just helped settle me in for a new old film.

For those like me who have never seen Four Weddings and A Funeral here is a brief synopsis. Charlie (Hugh Grant) has never been in love before but all that changes when he meets an American woman named Carrie (Andie McDowell) at a wedding. Before he knows it he’s become infatuated with her and the two spend the rest of the film maneuvering around one another supported by a very capable cast. That’s the gist of it without giving to much away even though if you’ve seen films like A Guy Thing or The Wedding Singer you’ll have seen this one as well.

As far as being a romantic comedy I found it to be extremely annoying. While McDowell is at the height of her charm in her career, having starred in fan favorites like Green Card and Groundhog’s Day and even the box office flop Hudson Hawk previously, her character is very one dimensional and unlikable. Grant manages to stutter and strut around as he usually does, blinking wildly as he speaks, but his character, obviously the easier to sympathize with, is an often confused lovable idiot. Still, it makes it hard to root them, especially when their closing dialogue at the end of the film is so God awful following the annoying finale. As much as I wanted to love Four Weddings and A Funeral I kept wondering if the person who wrote the film had ever been married or in love because these aspects of the film seemed shallow at best.

QUALITY:
Four Weddings and A Funeral starts off with some issues in the title sequence. The credits and film title wobble about slightly as they spill out leading up to the opening of the film. I was a little worried when I saw this but once the title sequence is over and done with a true evaluation of the film can be made. While the picture seems to have a muted feel to it sometimes the films transfer looks good. Skin tones are natural, color schemes are bright for a majority of the film, and clarity and sharpness only wane ever so slightly, but not enough to cause an issue. This is definitely an improvement for anyone looking to update their copy. The film is a dialogue heavy one so audio doesn’t really take advantage of its lossless DTS-HD MA quality. There aren't a lot of  moments in the film where immersion becomes a factor other then a baby crying to your right at a wedding and there is a spot in the film where dialogue sounds a bit tin, but for the most part dialogue is clear and volume levels are proper for this release.

BONUS FEATURES:
~Feature Commentary by Director Mike Newell, Producer Duncan Kenworthy and Writer/Co-Producer Richard Curtis
~Four Weddings and a Funeral In the Making
~The Wedding Planners - Almost a full half hour of interviews with the director and cast.
~Two Actors and A Director
~Deleted scenes - Worth having a peek at least once but not very long coming in at four minutes and two seconds.
~Promo’s and Trailers