Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 11, 2013

Donald Rice's directorial debut "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include a standard behind the scenes featurette and an audio commentary by director Donald Rice, writer Mary Henely-Magill, and editor Stephen Haren. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The young lovers

It is 1932 and the beautiful Dolly (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy, Hysteria) is about to get married. In a few hours she would go to the local church where her union with Owen (James Norton, An Education) will be made official. But she is scarred. Alone in her room and drinking rum, Dolly still isn’t convinced that she is marrying the right man. Actually, Owen is the right man, but Dolly isn’t convinced that she loves him as much she loves Joseph (Luke Treadaway, The Whistleblower, Attack the Block). And to be honest, Dolly isn’t sure she still loves Joseph as much as she did before he took that job in London and left her alone.

Mrs. Thatcham (Elizabeth McGovern, Once Upon a Time in America), Dolly’s mother, is absolutely positive that her daughter is marrying the right man. She has been for a long time, and has made it perfectly clear to everyone in the house. It would have been great if Dolly never met Joseph the previous summer, but apparently it was meant to be. These things happen – sometimes young and beautiful women, such as Dolly, meet young and handsome men that confuse them; some even make mistakes. Actually, Mrs. Thatcham saw Dolly and Joseph making a mistake in the winter garden, but that’s in the past. Dolly’s life is now heading in the right direction and this is all that matters, at least as far as Mrs. Thatcham is concerned.

The handsome Joseph has also arrived for the wedding. He has been trying to see Dolly and talk to her but has been repeatedly told that she isn’t ready to see him. He is heartbroken and a lot of the guests know it, but no one wants to be kind to him and upset Mrs. Thatcham.

Based on Julia Strachey’s novella, Donald Rice’s first feature film is a charming period comedy that should appeal to those who do not mind the various clichés these types of films are typically populated with. The different memory flashbacks where the bride-to-be and the ‘wrong’ man are seen together in particular are guaranteed to warm the hearts of closet romantics who like watching elegant young couples breathing heavily and kissing while it rains.

Some of the best sequences in the entire film, however, involve McGovern’s character, a feisty widow who loves reminding everyone that her opinion matters the most. A few of her verbal attacks during the second half of the film are simply priceless.

There is good chemistry between Jones and Treadaway in the memory flashbacks, but when they finally face each other in the house, both having had more than a few drinks, some of their exchanges feel more than a bit awkward. After a while, the young boy and his mini bombs also become a bit tedious.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding reportedly had a very small budget, but it is impossible to tell. Cinematographer John Lee’s lensing has given it an elegant period look, while Camille Benda’s costumes are simply wonderful. Virtually the entire film was also shot in a rather impressive English countryside home.

The film is also complimented by a wonderful chamber score courtesy of Michael Price (music arranger, Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, music editor, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy).

Note: Last year, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Donald Rice's Cheerful Weather for the Wedding arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios-UK.

The high-definition transfer is wonderful. Detail and clarity are exceptional throughout the entire film, while contrast remains stable. Virtually all of the close-ups boast tremendous depth (see screencapture #1), while the occasional panoramic shots convey excellent fluidity (see screencapture #4). There are two entirely different color schemes. The footage from the present favors subdued light greens, grays, browns, and blacks. The memory flashbacks favor rich and at times notably lush yellows, greens, and brown. There are absolutely no traces of problematic post-production lab tinkering. Excluding some extremely light aliasing that I noticed immediately after the opening credits, there are no purely transfer specific anomalies to report in this review either. Finally, there are no stability issues. All in all, despite its reportedly limited budget Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is one quite impressive looking period film whose fans are guaranteed to be pleased with its transition to Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Universal Studios have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless audio track opens up the film very well. The overall dynamic intensity is unlikely to impress viewers who enjoy big-budget action productions, but those who appreciate excellent fidelity and good mixing will be very pleased. Michael Price's light string score also benefits from the lossless treatment. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, and exceptionally easy to follow. Indeed, the lossless audio track is outstanding.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes Featurette - standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film and a number of short comments addressing the production of the film by different cast and crew members. In English, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - audio commentary with writer and director Donald Rice, writer Mary Henely-Magill, and editor Stephen Haren. In English, with optional English subtitles.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Donald Rice's Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is perfect to see on a lazy Sunday afternoon, possibly with someone special. While there is nothing in it that has not been done better before, the film is indeed quite charming, and at times seriously funny. Universal's presentation of Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is rather impressive. The Blu-ray disc is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.