In 1997, Julia Roberts returned to her bread and butter after three years of underperforming at the box-office and found a massive hit (that was also well-received by audiences and critics alike) in the romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding. This was a make-or-break film for Roberts, who hadn't enjoyed repeat success on her name alone since Sleeping with the Enemy in 1991 (The Pelican Brief, while written with her in mind, was from then-hot author John Grisham). She didn't even get her name above the title all by herself in the opening credits (gasp!), an anomalistic set-piece that creates the tone for the “villainainous” antics of Julianne “Jewels” Potter. Not only does it boast the choreography of Toni Basil (the 1980s pop cheerleader anthem "Mickey"), but the unprecedented vocals of Ani DiFranco. Yeah, Ani DiFranco.
In the most orgasmic, come-hither vocals she can muster, edgy true-indie rocker DiFranco covers “Wishin’ and Hopin,” a Hal David/Burt Bacharach song made popular by Dusty Springfield in 1964. As she sings, one “bride” (played by Raci Alexander) and her three “bridesmaids” (Jennifer Garrett, Kelly Sheerin, Bree Turner) lip-synch to the easy-listening hit while daydreaming of how great it would be to be married. Just so there is no confusion, the bride is blonde and the brunette bridesmaids wear either Easter green or pink dresses. Their feigned mindsets, as well the brunettes’ hairstyles wrapped up in buns, are very traditional, as they go through the motions of engagement and preparing for the wedding, including pulling up the garter, the bouquet toss, and
Now, the lyrics can be read as a carpe diem song where nothing is achieved by inaction, or the more cynical, unintentionally misogynistic suggestion that in order to achieve love, you must submit to the man (you desire) and put out any old way he wants (“Just do it / And after you do, you will be his.”) One of the cowriters Burt Bacharach is a straight male, who married four times, so you do the math. Surely, the innocent and light music promise no harm. Along with a bass and tambourine, the update includes a kazoo. This mini-music video, however, in all of it ironic glory, actually leads one to ponder if the song was originally subversive?
Basil uses the song’s time-warped lyrics to provide ideas for the actresses to play out, exhausting the possibilities, and reaching beyond including reenacting the three wise monkeys (hear, see, speak no evil), the bride biting her glove in ecstasy, and a fun little fainting spell she fakes, before winking after being caught by her ladies in waiting. As she shows off her ring (it sparkles), a close-up catches one of the bridesmaids admiring it with hungry awe. In the first long shot, we get the women dancing, sashaying, and whipping around the veil that now flies around prostrate to the women’s mockery of the institution, ending up like a tail on a bunny.
The bridal walk offers a simple shot that captures the most movement and use of space, as the camera starts with a closeup of the bride with her exposed shoulders. As the lens pulls out, the bridesmaids pop up from behind her and begin rolling out her veil and tossing it up in glee when they reach the end of the train. The camera remains still as the women take their position and commence with the procession, with the bride in the foreground
In one of the most seminal moments of a wedding day, the bride catches the very bouquet she tossed. As one last cheeky warning to little girls who still want to place all of their eggs in one basket: be careful of what ye wish for. 1) It may never come or 2) not garner the kind of man you’d want to spend the rest of your life with. A bird’s eye shot ends with bouquets hiding the women’s faces, as well as their identities. In one last customary moment, the bridesmaids adorn the bride in pearls, veil, and flowers, before taking a position at her feet on their knees, reverently holding their bouquets upwards. The sequence ends with a spotlight descending down approvingly on the white-veiled face of the bride to be, complete with final deep, vibrating notes provided by a church organ.
Filmed on simple set of pink, it’s debatable just exactly what shades were used for the background and floor. However, it’s tempting to write them off as “blush and bashful,” Shelby’s (as played by Julia Roberts) colors from Steel Magnolias years before. Christine Altomari supervised the production. Title Designer Wenden K. Baldwin now works in visual effects.
Previous Editions:
My Best Friend's Wedding
To Die For
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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