Reviews

Confetti

An improv success

By BRETT MICHEL | September 20, 2006

2.5 Stars

Confetti

British theater veteran Debbie Isitt’s mock-documentary follows three couples in the title bridal magazine’s contest for the “Most Original Wedding of the Year,” the prize being a million-dollar dream home. Although never approaching the level of Christopher Guest’s best efforts, her unscripted film amuses in its own shoddy, amiable way. Beyond the rival couples, it’s the life-partnered wedding planners of Vincent Franklin and Jason Watkins who transcend cliché and prove most winning as they hurriedly create camera-ready theme nuptials for the competitiveTennis Couple (Stephen Mangan and Meredith MacNeill), the tone-deaf Hollywood Musical Fans (Martin Freeman and Jessica Stevenson), and the Naturists (au naturel Robert Webb and Olivia Colman). Mike Leigh regular Alison Steadman is an improvisational pro as a harridan mother-in-law, but even Leigh knows never to shoot without a finished script, a lesson Isitt could learn.

On the Web:
Confetti's official Web site: http://www.confetti.co.uk/movie/default.asp

Related: Nighty-night, Prudish publication makes its debut, A flair for the drama, More

Nighty-night
It’s 1 am and Cowboy wants to go to sleep but I’ve still got the light on and the new In Style Weddings in my hands and I’m starting to freak about all the things I should have done already as per the In Style in my hand.
Prudish publication makes its debut
You won’t see any bikinis in Eliza’s swimsuit spread, just one-pieces and a few belly-covering tankinis.
A flair for the drama
"There's not enough hype in the world for Glasvegas," old reliable hypemonger NME recently proclaimed. But that doesn't mean the magazine and the rest of the British music press aren't trying.
Et tu Brute?
"The whole theatrical event is sort of . . . a much more mysterious one."
Sports Illustrated: The Baseball Book edited by Rob Fleder
Sports Illustrated, 294 pages, $29.95
Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love by Courtney Love
Lipstick kisses, mildewed edges, wine-stained composition-notebook covers duct-taped to yellow paper — this is People magazine meets Found . You gotta love that.
Boston Phoenix Editor flies to New Times/Village Voice Group
Boston Phoenix Editor Bill Jensen is leaving the alternative news weekly to take a job directing the web operations of the New Times chain of alternative papers.
Media monopolies kill
Anyone who doubts that big media monopolies are bad for democracy should take a look at how much the Post Office charges magazines to mail issues to subscribers.
Phoenix.com wins at AAN conference
ThePhoenix.com Web site won first place at the annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies conference.
Rock, she said
A few years back, I was approached by a publisher with a blank pagination for a new magazine. The only information he had was the page count and the title, Women Who Rock .
Maximum pleasure
Ann Beattie emerged in the 1970s in the pages of the New Yorker with a cast of post-grad characters who smoked pot, bummed around, fell in and out of relationships, and faced the world with a shrug and the latest rock and roll on the stereo.
Less

Topics: Reviews , Media, Weddings, Magazines, More

| More

See more deals

view all

[ 05/26 ] "A Natural Order," photographs by Lucas Foglia @ David Winton Bell Gallery

[ 05/26 ] George Orwell's 1984, adapted by Nick Lane @ Gamm Theatre

[ 05/26 ] "2012 RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition" @ Rhode Island Convention Center

More Information

Watch the trailer for Confetti (QuickTime)

ARTICLES BY BRETT MICHEL

REVIEW: GIRL IN PROGRESS | May 15, 2012
As rites of passage go, Girl in Progress is a step backward for the genre.

REVIEW: FIRST POSITION | May 10, 2012
While not the most probing look at rising stars, Bess Kargman's documentary focuses on six aspiring contestants preparing for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition (a proven entry point into the world of professional ballet) who demonstrate dazzling talent.

REVIEW: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL | May 03, 2012
Filled with Indian (and British) clichés, it is nonetheless a pleasant diversion that doesn't involve special effects or 3D glasses.

REVIEW: BLUE LIKE JAZZ | April 12, 2012
A faith-based film directed by Christian recording artist Steve Taylor, adapted by Taylor and Donald Miller from the latter's 2003 memoir, this micro-budgeted indie tries to appeal to everyone by not offending anyone . . . except those who like movies.

REVIEW: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI | April 04, 2012
Eighty-five-year-old Jiro, with his unchanging expression and bald pate, resembles a wizened turtle. Leaving home at age 9 and forced to fend for himself, he would become the world's greatest sushi chef.