A Hugh Grant classic from the 1990s is now available
A beloved Hugh Grant rom-com has just become available on BBC iPlayer, offering viewers the chance to fall in love with the classic all over again for free, reports Surrey Live.
Released in 1994, amid the golden era of British romantic comedies, the film was penned by renowned screenwriter Richard Curtis.
Hugh Grant, who was a fresh-faced 32 year old teetering on the edge of quitting his acting career, found the script transformative and took on the leading role that would define his future.
His performance turned him into a household name in Hollywood and opened the door to an eclectic mix of roles ranging from the American horror flick Heretic to the family favourite Paddington.
One particularly impressed cinema-goer shared on Rotten Tomatoes: “This is absolutely the best film of Hugh Grant’s career.”
Another fan commented: “A Classic of 1990’s British cinema [sic].”
One viewer reflected: “Simply a charming movie. It gives you a slice of life about love and relationships and makes you realise that it is never too late to go for the person you love amidst all missed opportunities in the past.”
An additional admirer remarked: “This film still holds up. Grant is at his absolute peak of charm before he reinvented smarm, Scott Thomas is divine, as and MacDowell’s performance is surprisingly great on rewatch. And it includes one of the all time great gay moments in film history. No spoilers.
“Richard Curtis is a godsend to modern romantic comedy fans because he is one of the few artists still able to get films produced within this genre and to write pretty funny screenplays too,” praised another cinema-goer.
Four Weddings and a Funeral was an absolute smash when it hit cinemas, starring Hugh Grant as the bashful Charles who falls head over heels for the lively American Carrie, played by Andie MacDowell.
The film traced the tumultuous journey to love for Charles and Carrie, set against the backdrop of his friends’ own romantic escapades.
Boasting a stellar ensemble cast, Four Weddings and a Funeral featured the likes of Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, Rowan Atkinson, David Haig, and Anna Chancellor.
It’s rumoured that writer Richard Curtis drew inspiration for the screenplay from his personal encounters at weddings, including a proposition he declined, only to regret it later.
The partnership between Grant and Curtis on Four Weddings and a Funeral marked the start of a fruitful collaboration, which continued with hits like Notting Hill in 1999, Bridget Jones’s Diary in 2001, and Love Actually in 2003.
Their collective efforts helped catapult British romantic comedies onto the world stage, setting a high bar that many subsequent films have struggled to reach.
Just last year, Grant had the honour of presenting Curtis with an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, a nod to the writer’s impressive body of work.
Before presenting the award, Grant quipped: “[My agent] sent me this very good script and it had a great part and it was called Four Weddings and a Funeral.”
I went to the audition and, frankly, I was rather good because the director Mike Newell liked me and wanted me and the producer liked me and wanted me and the money people wanted me. “”The only person who didn’t want me and, in fact, took such an instant violent dislike to me, that he did everything in his power to stop me getting the part, was the writer, and it is this a***hole who we are going to honour tonight.”
His joke had the audience, including Curtis, in fits of laughter.
Most recently, Grant reprised his iconic role as Daniel Cleaver for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, marking a return to romcoms.
Four Weddings and a Funeral is streaming on the BBC iPlayer now
