Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) may be getting married, but to her irritation, all eyes are on her car crash of a sister Kym (Anne Hathaway), who's been temporarily released from a drug treatment facility to attend the nuptials.
Their sibling rivalry is only the tip of the iceberg, and as the weekend progresses, the waters recede to reveal a family broken by tragedy, grief and bitter recrimination. Alternately funny and gripping, the feature marks a welcome return to original drama for director Jonathan Demme, who's spent the last decade preoccupied with documentaries (The Agronomist, Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains), concert movies (Neil Young: Heart of Gold, Storefront Hitchcock), and remakes (The Manchurian Candidate, The Truth About Charlie). It's not a terribly disciplined exercise – the rehearsal dinner and wedding ceremony went on so long I thought I was watching The Deer Hunter – but the performances are outstanding, especially Hathaway, and Debra Winger in a small but devastating turn as her chilly, resentful mother.
