Irish Film Institute -Muriel’s Wedding

Muriel’s Wedding

With the introduction of Strictly Ballroom to the Leaving Certificate English syllabus, which we will screen in the Autumn, we are pleased to show PJ Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding, another hugely successful, larger-than-life Australian classic of the 1990s.

Living in a fantasy world of ABBA songs, Muriel Heslop (Toni Collette) waits for Prince Charming to come along and rescue her from her bullying father, her less-than-friendly peers and the claustrophobic atmosphere of Porpoise Spit, the small coastal town where she lives. Starved of self-esteem, she fantasises about finding happiness in the arms of a loving bridegroom.
In Hogan’s lively screenplay, Muriel finds the courage to take action and her life with the help of her new-found friend, the feisty Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths). Together they move to Sydney where Muriel reinvents herself as Mariel, and manages to find a job and a boyfriend. But just as her dreams seem to have come true, life forces her to take a second look.
Shifting tone from a boisterous comic beginning to a more serious mood in the second half, Hogan takes the viewer on a joyous journey of Muriel’s self-discovery that is fresh, funny and always entertaining.

Australia •1994 • Comedy/Drama • 105 mins • Director: P.J. Hogan

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