63
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWickedly mocking but empathetic, able to laugh at its characters while paying attention to their sorrows, this subversive comedy about self-esteem resists the notion that films have to timidly remain within tidy genre rules.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliWhile Muriel's Wedding has its moments of exhilarating humor, it is, as often as not, downbeat and even mean-spirited.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversA crowd pleaser that spices a tired formula with genuine feeling.
- 75San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackThere's poignant drama in this brash, sometimes overstated film, and Muriel's transformation is truly touching.
- 70The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinMuriel's Wedding runs into trouble when it looks for poignancy too openly, working better at giddy moments than in its occasional sad ones. Most of the time, Mr. Hogan keeps his story light and surprising.
- Thankfully there are no weight-loss montage sequences; what you see with Muriel is what you get, like it or not. This refusal to change or convert the main characters makes the film so appealing.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineUltimately, the comedy here is grounded in self-hatred, hostility, and despair. Nearly everyone who wanders through this brash and deliberately tasteless film is stupid, ungainly, or grotesquely tragic. But this only heightens the pleasure during moments of delirious merriment.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenWatching this is a feature-length exercise in frustration - comedy that promises to be amusingly black stays uniformly grey; sentiment that looks to be credibly bittersweet winds up badly soured. We're constantly tantalized and perpetually disappointed, but don't despair - there's one terrific bonus...Toni Collette.
- 40Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumOscillating back and forth between insulting its two central characters (Muriel and her dad) and showing they have hidden depths, this movie only shows true tact and understanding when it comes to flattering the audience; everyone on screen is strictly up for grabs.
- 40Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonHogan seems skittish about going all the way with the darker side of his material...It's a bright, buoyant comedy about a very sad young woman -- and, regrettably, the mix just doesn't work.