Critics’ reviews

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

10 reviews from 10 publications. Critics’ score 79: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative.

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79
Positive
8
Mixed
0
Negative
1

Most critics greet Four Weddings and a Funeral as a funny, warmly engaging comedy, with praise clustering around Hugh Grant’s awkward charm and comic timing. The ensemble gives the friendships substance, while Richard Curtis’s script and Mike Newell’s direction earn credit for wit, pace and assured handling of the ceremonial structure. Several reviews also find emotional honesty beneath the social embarrassment, particularly in the funeral scene.

Reservations concern the privileged social setting, familiar romantic conventions and Andie MacDowell’s performance alongside a more persuasive supporting cast. The spread is wide despite the strongly positive lean. Sight and Sound rejects the romance as lazy and finds no chemistry between the leads, though it singles out Kristin Scott Thomas for praise. The Hollywood Reporter objects more sharply to the characters’ unkindness, finding the central pair unsympathetic and the comedy soured by their behaviour.

Radio Times
★★★★★
100

Extremely funny, charming and poignant with a superb screenplay and deft direction. Standout performances make it hugely enjoyable and a game-changer for British comedy.

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RogerEbert.com
18 March 1994 · ★★★★/4 · Roger Ebert
100

The film is a delightful and sly comedy about an extended group of friends whose lives revolve around attending weddings and one funeral. It forms a community that envelops the viewer through subtle character introductions and strong ensemble performances, especially Hugh Grant's endearing awkwardness.

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The New York Times
9 March 1994 · Janet Maslin
90*

This deft English comedy is elegant, festive and very, very funny, a remarkable tightrope act that confines its central love story to the events in the title. It features Hugh Grant in a career-making role as a suave yet hapless best man.

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Empire
1 January 2000 · Phil Thomas
80*

The film proves there is no substitute for professionalism and a first-rate script, emerging as possibly the most 'British' modern film committed to celluloid. It is funny, agreeably sweet and exceptionally well acted and directed, with Hugh Grant a charming revelation despite some sops to the US market and clichés.

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The Guardian
12 May 1994 · Derek Malcolm
80*

The critic calls the film a highly expert and entertaining comedy of middle-class manners that is full of irony and shrewdness, and one of the least embalmed contemporary comedies around. He praises Hugh Grant's marvellous performance and the near-perfect casting overall, along with director Mike Newell's pace and verve, while noting that Andie MacDowell's performance does not quite match the rest of the cast.

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Time Out
· GA
80*

A classy, commercial and very funny British comedy with smooth direction and emotional honesty, especially in the funeral scene. Genuine feel-good entertainment despite conventional attitudes.

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The Independent
12 May 1994 · Sheila Johnston
75*

The film is a diverting, crowd-pleasing romantic comedy that makes a virtue of its simple shooting style and focus on ceremonial occasions. It praises Hugh Grant's impeccable comic timing while noting the privileged, upper-middle-class characters and lightweight nature, but highlights fine touches that make it celebratory overall.

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Sight and Sound
1 June 1994
20*

The critic finds the film a smarmy fable about true love with lazy romanticism and no chemistry between leads. Supporting cast, especially Kristin Scott Thomas, fares better, but overall the comedy falls flat.

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The Hollywood Reporter
20 January 1994 · festival review · Duane Byrge

The romantic comedy is layered with an inner unkindness and coated with snide incivility that saps its merriment, though it may win mixed applause from select audiences. The lead romantic characters are not sympathetic, with the male lead in particular described as unredeemably callous.

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Eye for Film
27 February 2005 · Josh Morrall
90*

The critic calls the film a masterpiece and modern classic that launched careers and set the bar for British rom-coms. They praise the witty script by Richard Curtis, Mike Newell's direction, and the engaging ensemble cast including Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, and others for their memorable performances.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate