My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

71% of critics liked it
(55 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(426,204 ratings)

A woman realizes that friends can be lovers, but now has to convince the friend in question in this romantic comedy. Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney) and Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) were romantically involved in college, and after breaking up, they have managed to remain close friends. For… More A woman realizes that friends can be lovers, but now has to convince the friend in question in this romantic comedy. Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney) and Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) were romantically involved in college, and after breaking up, they have managed to remain close friends. For years, Julianne and Michael have had a pledge that if both were single when they turned 28, they would get married. Shortly before her 28th birthday, Julianne is lamenting the sad state of her love life when she gets a call from Michael, who announces that he has important news. Julianne is convinced that Michael is going to ask her to marry him, and she is crestfallen when he announces that he's engaged to Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz). Kimmy seems like the perfect woman for Michael; she's sweet, pretty, bright, and adores Michael, and her wealthy family is just as fond of him as she is. But now that Julianne has realized how much she loves Michael, she's not about to give him up without a fight -- and isn't afraid to fight dirty. Julianne's uneasy ally in the battle for Michael's affections is her friend and editor George Downes (Rupert Everett), a cheerfully out-of-the-closet homosexual who is not prepared when Julianne asks him to pose as her boyfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: P.J. Hogan
Written By: Ron Bass
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Jun 20, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Dec 9, 1997
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
We don't feel much of anything.
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
The draggy narrative of this 1997 comedy is tough to sit through -- there are even several overproduced musical numbers -- but it does have an intriguing subversive element that I don't want to give away.
Leonard Klady, Variety
Anchored by skilled comedienne Julia Roberts, this skewered variation on jealousy and the wrong woman doing battle in the aisles is a winning balance of the familiar and the novel.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
A misbegotten attempt to update the genre that only proves the enduring -- if not downright inviolable -- appeal of the boy-meets-girl scenario.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
[Julia Roberts] is at her vibrant best.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Every once in a long while, along comes a refreshing change like My Best Friend's Wedding, a movie whose appeal rests largely on its knack for defying our expectations by riffing off, even undermining, a familiar genre.
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
A poor imitation of a screwball comedy.
, Film4
Hogan's follow-up to Muriel's Wedding rolls smoothly over the bumps in the plot, oiled by a witty acerbic script and strong central performances.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This amiable comedy may not be hugely sophisticated, but Hogan does manage to make his attractive leads look like complete idiots, no mean achievement in image-obsessed Hollywood.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
The Roberts audiences knew and loved is back--not only has the smile returned, but also the glow, the joy of performance.
, Time Out
The film's brazen amorality gradually freezes the smile on your face.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
For those of us not so enthralled with Ms. Roberts, you'll have to endure the movie, but will be mildly entertained with good, old music and some stellar comedy provided almost entirely by Rupert Everett.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A romantic comedy that is both mawkish and subversive.
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
A cheeky comedy that rates at least three bouquets.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
A romantic comedy significantly darker, more realistic and more intelligent than Hollywood examples of the same genre.
Jim Shelby, Palo Alto Weekly
This delightful comedy about love, friendship and the hazards of lying comes not a moment too soon for anyone overwhelmed by the current glut of summer movie mayhem.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
[The film's] virtues...make such a vivid and appealing impression that we forget, ignore, or fail even to notice those elements that are less successful.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
Not only does this modern-day screwball romp manage to be romantic and comical, it also offers Julia Roberts a chance to shine again in the kind of movie that she does best.
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
Hey, I actually really liked this picture.
Christine Phillips, Boxoffice Magazine
There are many humorous moments throughout, though some of the more outrageous segments seem too contrivedly wacky.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

What's interesting here is that Roberts, the ex-girlfriend (at the wedding only to break it up), is someone smart, charming and "totally above such drama". We find out as she does (ala the screwball comedies of old) just how far she'll go to achieve her will ...… More
What's interesting here is that Roberts, the ex-girlfriend (at the wedding only to break it up), is someone smart, charming and "totally above such drama". We find out as she does (ala the screwball comedies of old) just how far she'll go to achieve her will ... and she's supposedly "not like that at all". Maybe she's driven to it as this is one of those films where folks break out into popular song whenever and so one can sympathize with her temporary insanity in this funny crowd pleaser from the good ol'days of 1997.
Bethany M

A classic! A must see!
Veronique K

i watched lots of 90s chic flicks during adolescence due to my sister, and "my best friend's wedding" is one of them...even now i still think it's probably one of the best chick flicks ever in the history of motion pictures even personally i cannot identify with… More
i watched lots of 90s chic flicks during adolescence due to my sister, and "my best friend's wedding" is one of them...even now i still think it's probably one of the best chick flicks ever in the history of motion pictures even personally i cannot identify with any of those characters in this movie.(east-coast wasp with too much money and leisure time to dream their mr. right) sometimes i feel it's more fun to watch that kind of picture when you were 16 viewing the life of 28..when you're 27 and almost ready to be 28 next year, everything in this movie appears so unrealisticly cinderellaesque. but the nice thing about this movie is the fact that even cinderella has her downs and irreparable failures. female vanity and paranoic persistence are all rendered well by julia roberts and cameron diaz. one is a woman who is too popular to accept a slip of failure; the other is too naively shrewd to let her beau flee. sometimes that makes you wonder that woman could be like man, who only cherishes his object of affection/desire only when there's some competition going on, like a trophy to assert your pride. it's just female feud is more tenderized and injected with some deeply immersed sentimentality, more apologetically sugar-coated since woman has to pardon herself with some excuse she cannot help. why it doesn't occur to any of these two female leads that you could just walk away and find another man to start anew since you have wealth, looks and social status(good job, well-reputed family)? i suppose if any woman thinks like that in those movies, there won't be any chick flick made. sometimes i feel there's some unspoken complicity in this genre to vie for the favors of men. anyway, the soundtrack is cozily sweet and very fit to the story backset.(one of the best romantic soundtracks) clothes look lovely and those women look modern but also quite elegant. the story has enough dramatic tension, and sometimes it could be touching, especially the boat speech dermot mulroney makes "if you love someone, you must tell right away or that person would never know" along with the melody of "the way you look tonight"(even life is never simplified as THAT)....actually the best fun is to watch julia roberts make a clumsy fool of herself by taking a nosedive while cameron diaz keeps getting on her nerve with her reckless perfectionist demeanors. that hostility could keep the viewer seated for a whole movie. if you wanna be politically sensitive, my best friend's wedding creates a certain typecasting for gay stud (rupert everette), assimilating gays into the mainstream niche of beautiful cosmopolitan woman's second-base substitute for temporal romance, that will later be in everette's movie with madonna and "sex and the city"...it dubs a user-friendly air over gay men in mainstream soapy movies. it's like the black nanny in "gone with the wind", and mainstream movies need that sort of fixed character to represent a certain group to disarm the potential threat to the central values. it's like saying "gee, he is gay but he's kinda harmless and he could be our best friend when we women cannot get a good man on our bed-side"...is it true or i over-speculate it? i do wonder.
Lenny M

Julia Roberts was solid in the 90's, real solid.
Anthony L

Absolutely fucking awful! Everyone who worked on this film should be ashamed of themselves!
Thomas B

even though it makes use of a very tired old storyline of breaking someone elses wedding in order to go out with the guy yourself, it still works, somehow. julia roberts is fantastic as usual as well as cameron diaz basically being herself. rupert everett is the outstanding one in… More
even though it makes use of a very tired old storyline of breaking someone elses wedding in order to go out with the guy yourself, it still works, somehow. julia roberts is fantastic as usual as well as cameron diaz basically being herself. rupert everett is the outstanding one in this.
Jennifer X

Pretty much the best thing about this movie was the ending. Enough said.
danny d

actually solid romantic comedy with atypical ending for this sort of film. most guys may not like it but m kind of a sucker for julia roberts.
Cassie H

Hilarious Chick Flick!
Candy R

Juliann (Julia) doesn't want to see her best friend Michael (Dermot) marry Kimmy (Cameron) as she is in love with him. She does everything she can to humiliate her love rival. I love the singing scenes. Rupert and Cameron are hilarious. Great cast and plot.
Mason W

My Best Friend's Wedding, is one of my favorite Julia Roberts movies. Julia plays a very long time friend with Dermot Mulroney. They both make a pack that when turning 30 if they are not married to marry one another.....Julia finds out that her friend is getting married to… More
My Best Friend's Wedding, is one of my favorite Julia Roberts movies. Julia plays a very long time friend with Dermot Mulroney. They both make a pack that when turning 30 if they are not married to marry one another.....Julia finds out that her friend is getting married to another and that she must stop it since she is ms. right.....the beginning musical number for the credits is very cute along with the funny dinner scene with the wedding partys singing "I Say A Little Prayer For You"...it is too funny.
Alice S

My opinion of this movie is retroactively soured due to the fact that I first saw it when I was too young and optimistic to appreciate when the girl doesn't get the guy in the end.
Film C

love it its gr8 funny lovely and gr8 really
Chris W

Decent roimantic comedy that is a good way to pass some time on a lonely, boring day
Rachel F

Not one of Julia's best but it was ok
Tim B

Stupid.
Dean M

Cool romantic comedy. Julia Roberts glitters like gold dust.
xGary X

Chick flick starring Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett. Need I say more? Wake me when it's over....
Jason S

Eh. Not too bad.
Jose Z

Julia Roberts is the Queen of romantic comedies, movie she make, movie that is a success, this one is funny,with a very good cast and very touching also.