My Mother's Wedding (2025) - Film Review

      My Mother’s Wedding, 2025.

      Directed by Kristin Scott Thomas.

      Starring Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham, Kristin Scott Thomas, Freida Pinto, Mark Stanley, Joshua McGuire, Samson Kayo, Thibault de Montalembert, Sindhu Vee, James Fleet, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Ian Dunnett Jnr, and Giulio Berruti.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Three sisters return to their hometown for their mother’s third wedding after being widowed twice. The mother and her daughters must confront both the past and the future, aided by a diverse group of unexpected wedding guests.

      My Mother’s Wedding, co-written and directed by Kristin Scott Thomas, presents a scenario similar to attending a wedding where 85% of the guests are unfamiliar. The film is filled with characters that viewers are expected to connect with, although this is largely unachievable.

      Drawing on elements from Thomas’ own life (which contributes to an unpleasant air of self-indulgence), the film, co-written with John Micklethwait, revolves around the third marriage of a character named Diana. This occasion serves as a means to gather her three daughters: Katherine (Scarlett Johansson), a Royal Navy captain; Victoria (Sienna Miller), a semi-successful Hollywood actress; and Georgina (Emily Beecham), a nurse returning home. It also provides an opportunity to explore new and old family conflicts stemming from their upbringing. These tensions risk overshadowing the countryside wedding and show disrespect to the third husband, Geoff (James Fleet), a boring birdwatcher who pales in comparison to the sisters’ deceased fathers, who died in combat.

      The audience is thrust into the wedding with nearly no context or character development. The opening montage barely lasts a minute and merely provides on-screen text to identify the three sisters and their occupations, depriving viewers of understanding them before the wedding begins. The situation deteriorates further as additional characters are introduced, from past lovers to children and various friends and relatives, resulting in a convoluted web of interactions that lack interest or engagement. Much of the film feels like a chore as viewers struggle to keep track of the characters, their issues, and their relationships.

      Each sister carries personal baggage with their mother, and they each have their own drama, but the film fails to effectively delve into these stories due to the overwhelming amount happening. Katherine is grappling with commitment issues regarding her partner, Jack (Freida Pinto), which Diana criticizes, arguing that she should embrace her rights as a gay woman. Victoria feels frustrated that good men are not interested in speaking with a famous actress. Meanwhile, Georgina has hired a private investigator to look into her spouse, whom she suspects of infidelity. All three sisters have children and varying degrees of closeness in their relationships.

      There are also brief black-and-white flashbacks of Katherine’s childhood, often depicting conflict and sorrow, like losing a father or dealing with her mother’s second husband questioning if she would be okay adopting a new surname. This topic also becomes a source of tension for Victoria when she finds out about it. The subplot involving Georgina and her possibly unfaithful husband elicits some laughs and might resonate with viewers. However, the rest of the film feels superficial, relying on the audience to invest emotionally in characters they don't know, or in the history of Kristin Scott Thomas for no clear reason.

      It would be unjust to label My Mother’s Wedding as a complete failure; the cast is attempting to uncover something authentic within their roles and the theme of sisterhood, yet the challenge is nearly insurmountable given the multiple storylines crammed into a 90-minute runtime. Adequate performances do not redeem this issue. While the countryside setting is lovely, it doesn’t alleviate the feeling of wanting to escape this wedding. Moreover, the film needlessly extends an additional 15 minutes. A more fitting title might be Kristin Scott Thomas’ failed debut.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder