Ceremony (2011)

39% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(1,916 ratings)

Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker's fiancée, Zoe (Uma… More Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker's fiancée, Zoe (Uma Thurman), and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam's plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.--(c) Magnolia

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Max Winkler
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 8, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Jun 21, 2011
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
Yes, it's been done before (and better). But Uma lends it a sly and sexy spark.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
The offbeat comedy is not entirely devoid of charm, but its derivativeness is almost embarrassing.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Does Uma Thurman perpetually underestimate herself, or is Quentin Tarantino the only filmmaker who appreciates her?
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Young Winkler needs to learn that simply instructing characters to smirk and look ironic is not enough; you actually have to come up with funny things for them to say.
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
If the scenario is unconvincing, debuting writer-director Max Winkler has a feel for the dynamics of this kind of ritualized yet informal social gathering, and his affection for his characters is clear.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Throughout the movie, Ms. Thurman's facial expressions suggest a peevish spoiled child about to stomp her feet and throw a full-scale tantrum.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
This marriage for profit story featuring a delusional wedding crasher is neither romantic nor funny.
S. James Wegg, JWR
Zoe's heartfelt declaration 'I can't be your mermaid,' succinctly sums up the entire situation.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's only funny because its putrid dialogue is so unfunny that it drags flies.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
More interested in melancholy wryness than belly laughs, and the low-key results have a pleasant fizz. [Blu-ray]
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Doesn't offer anything worth the time invested, issuing derivative characters and tuneless situations of longing coated with an ineffective layer of crooked whimsy that often acts like salt in the wound.
Brent Simon, Shockya.com
Well acted, with plenty of color around its edges, Ceremony too often dawdles and dissembles when it should be digging deeper. Still, the performances make it connect, even though Winkler seems to have an aversion to catharsis.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
The contradictory elements stack up at the same time your interest in the characters dwindles.
Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner
[Angarano] and Thurman have scenes of such honesty and raw emotional energy that it's almost possible to forgive "Ceremony" its sometimes sluggish pacing and its peevish protagonist. Almost, but not quite.
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Daily News
In "Ceremony," a Wes Anderson impersonator attempts a version of "Wedding Crashers," and it's about as bad as you might think.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
In the end, Ceremony shows occasional promise but mostly pretense. But at least it knows when to wrap up the party and go home.
Mark Deming, TV Guide's Movie Guide
While Ceremony may not look or feel terribly original, Winkler has clearly learned a lot from his study of [Wes] Anderson's oeuvre, and he's made a comedy that's intelligent, stylish, and effective even when it's emulating someone else's work.
Todd Gilchrist, Boxoffice Magazine
Ceremony isn't spectacularly original, but it's a proficient breakthrough that manages to make its familiarity charming.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
Winkler directs with a borrowed sense of assurance.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
Winkler's writing works too hard to achieve the frothy quality that he attempts.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

This was much better than the ratings would have you believe. It starts off a little bit dull and like it might be a second rate rip of The Wedding Crashers. Quite honestly I was expecting a suckfest (I still haven't quite forgiven Uma for the awful "Accidental… More
This was much better than the ratings would have you believe. It starts off a little bit dull and like it might be a second rate rip of The Wedding Crashers. Quite honestly I was expecting a suckfest (I still haven't quite forgiven Uma for the awful "Accidental Husband"). I was glad I stuck it out, though, as this was quite a nice story about the one that got away. The ending wasn't really obvious (even at the ending there was a little left to your own imagination), and it just had really good characters. More like an indie film that the chick flick it appears to be. Maybe that's why the low rating.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Reece Thompson, Lee Pace, Rebecca Mader, Jake M. Johnson, Brooke Bloom, Harper Dill Director: Max Winkler Summary: Michael Angarano stars in this indie comedy as Sam, a naïve twentysomething who falls head over heels in love with Zoe (Uma… More
Cast: Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Reece Thompson, Lee Pace, Rebecca Mader, Jake M. Johnson, Brooke Bloom, Harper Dill Director: Max Winkler Summary: Michael Angarano stars in this indie comedy as Sam, a naïve twentysomething who falls head over heels in love with Zoe (Uma Thurman), a beautiful older woman who's about to marry a pretentious documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). Refusing to give up hope, Sam drags his best friend (Reece Thompson) to the seaside town where the wedding is set to take place in a last-ditch attempt to head off the nuptials. My Thoughts: "I absolutely loved this movie. It was so quirky and the character's are so greatly done. Michael Angarano and Reece Daniel Thompson are fantastic in the movie. They had such an easy flow with each other which made their character's even better. The script is smart and maybe not original but definitely well written and greatly executed on screen. Sam, who comes off very confident and sure of himself has dragged his deeply depressed best friend, Marshall, who he hasn't spoken to in a year, off on a weekend get away. Marshall is under the assumption it was a trip for them to spend time together, not knowing the trip is in fact for Sam to try and woo his lady back. The relationship between Marshall and Sam is odd and very entertaining. As the story unfolds the dynamic between Marshall and Sam change. They unknowingly switch roles with each other. I found the movie refreshing and loved every minute of it. Lee Pace definitely demands the screen in every scene he's in. Uma Thurman does justice to her role and doesn't over do it. Just a great quirky comedy that I will have to see again."
Conner R

I'll admit that this shares a very similar style to something by Wes Anderson (and maybe Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married), but it is really well done and manages to say something unique by the end. What stood out most here was the amazing dialogue; it was… More
I'll admit that this shares a very similar style to something by Wes Anderson (and maybe Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married), but it is really well done and manages to say something unique by the end. What stood out most here was the amazing dialogue; it was simultaneously comic gold and honest to the characters and tone. Max Winkler might be a first time director, but he clearly has a great idea of what it takes for a movie to work. I think the story is well put together and it moves along smoothly instead of being awkward and boring. Part of this is due to the characterization and performances. Michael Angarano was perfect in my opinion; his delusional sense of happiness and manipulation mind games were priceless. It's a character that could come off as a complete bastard, but somehow he made it lovable and sympathetic. His violent children's book reading in the opening starts the character off perfectly. Lee Pace also had completely genius rendition of a deranged British filmmaker who spends his time making documentaries in Africa. While this movie might be thrown in the "hipster" genre, it actually bears no resemblance to that at all. While it has a nice sense of uniqueness and originality, it's not the focus of attention and there's no bizarre stereotypes. If anything, this embraces the happy-go-lucky comedy genre and doesn't spend a whole lot of time being too realistic or moody. It's fine with just being consistently funny and having likable characters; even if their actions are not exactly honorable.
Steven C

Now, I am going to be rather harsh on Max Winkler here but keep my rating in mind. Winkler's debut feature film, "Ceremony," is a self conscious effort. He wears his influences so clearly on his sleeve that it borders on theft. This guy needs to buy some DVDs that… More
Now, I am going to be rather harsh on Max Winkler here but keep my rating in mind. Winkler's debut feature film, "Ceremony," is a self conscious effort. He wears his influences so clearly on his sleeve that it borders on theft. This guy needs to buy some DVDs that aren't by Wes Anderson. Max Winkler is clearly great at dialogue, his screenplay sparkles with wit. Where this fails is that the scenario can be unconvincing and false. To make up for this, Winkler clearly has a way with actors and Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Lee Pace, Jake Johnson and newcomer Reece Thompson are all excellent. They are able to form honest characters out of Winkler's characterizations. He is able to help shape real people out of his cutouts, which is an odd talent to have. But what ultimately makes "Ceremony" very worthwhile is the tone. This is an incredibly feisty and clever picture. Is it a misguided attempt at being overly trendy? Yes. Does Max Winkler need to trust himself more as a filmmaker? Absolutely. As it stands, "Ceremony" is very enjoyable as a 'hipster' flick and it really is a rather promising debut. I hope Max Winkler continues to grow as a filmmaker because he has potential.
Lorenzo v

"Are you in love with me or am I just dragonflies?" A young guy crashes the wedding of the thirty-something woman he wants back. <center>"Are you in love with me or am I just dragonflies?" A young guy crashes the wedding of the thirty-something woman he wants back. <center>REVIEW</center> Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) writes children's books and lives in the child like fantasies of kids. He has a friend Marshall Schmidt (Reece Thompson) who happens to show up as the only member of an audience to hear Sam read his latest new children's book. The two boys rekindle their friendship, stagnant for the past year while Marshall recovered from an altercation and hid in his parents home while Sam had a momentary encounter with a beautiful 30s something woman Zoe (Uma Thurman). The two lads decide to take a little trip to ostensibly to get Marshall out of his parent's home to see the world, but in actuality Sam has heard that Zoe is marrying some wealthy guy, Whit Coutell (Lee Pace), at Whit's lavish seaside home. Sam and Marshall mend long absent feelings of closeness and taking some daring steps they drive to the seaside estate, obtain an invitation to Zoe's party (her wedding to Whit Actually) from Zoe's drunken brother Teddy (Jake M. Johnson). Sam confronts Zoe, stating his love and his desire to marry her, but Zoe needs more than a young kid to satisfy her and sees the opportunities of marrying the moneyed Whit. In a series of incidents both hilarious at times and deeply tender at others all characters discover new concepts of relationships. How the film ends is left for the viewer to discover. Michael Angarano is pitch perfect as Sam, a young man whose ideals are tested and who must learn the adult role. His skills are so polished at this young stage in his career that he is bound to become a major star. Reece Thompson is not far behind, and Uma Thurman gives one of her most well rounded performances. Lee Pace makes the most of his role, sparkling as the reigning optimist of the story. But in the end most of the credit for the success of this little gem is due to the talent of Max Winkler who writes as well as he directs: he is a formidable force. Highly recommended.
Walter M

In "Ceremony," Sam(Michael Angarano), a children's book writer, persuades his friend Marshall(Reece Thompson) to spend the weekend on Long Island in order to escape their stalled lives. What Sam does not tell his friend at the time is that he plans on crashing the… More
In "Ceremony," Sam(Michael Angarano), a children's book writer, persuades his friend Marshall(Reece Thompson) to spend the weekend on Long Island in order to escape their stalled lives. What Sam does not tell his friend at the time is that he plans on crashing the wedding of Zoe(Uma Thurman) to Whit(Lee Pace), a documentary filmmaker, which he found about through a Dear John postcard. Their infiltration succeeds through the unintentional efforts of Teddy(Jake Johnson), Zoe's inebriated brother. So, if all else fails, there is alcohol and cute women like Esme(Rebecca Mader). With a Kate Bush song on the soundtrack, "Ceremony" is not entirely worthless. To be honest, the movie aims to be an offbeat romantic comedy, with a side dish of literary pretensions.(Is that "The Great Gatsby" that Marshall is reading because it would explain a lot?) Instead, it is mostly insufferable, due in no large part to Michael Angarano coming off too strong, with none of the requisite vulnerability that could have led us to believe Sam is more than just a borderline stalker.(It's especially strange since I've liked Angarano in other movies in the past.) But at least Reece Thompson shows what could have been in the few scenes without his boisterous co-star. Otherwise, we would have nothing left but to feel sorry for Uma Thurman.
Sol C

Michael Angarano's performance is the best reason to check out this film. It is one of his best so far. The film reminded me of movies like Tadpole, Rushmore, and Igby Goes Down. What works here is the performances. Angarano is perfectly casted in the role. He has a good on… More
Michael Angarano's performance is the best reason to check out this film. It is one of his best so far. The film reminded me of movies like Tadpole, Rushmore, and Igby Goes Down. What works here is the performances. Angarano is perfectly casted in the role. He has a good on screen chemistry with Reece Daniel Thompson. Lee Pace was also good in the film, but he reminded me too much of Clive Owen. Uma Thurman was good too, but I wouldn't have casted her in this role. The problem that I had with the film was that I didn't think that Angarano and Thurman had a good on screen chemistry in the movie. They were good in the film, but not as a couple. I just didn't buy them as a couple. That is why I think if another actress was cast in Thurman's role, there would have probably been a better on screen chemistry. Still the film is worth checking out for Angarano's performance.