After The Wedding

This is a remake of the 2006 Danish film of the same name.

The two male protagonists in the original have been substituted with two females: Michelle Williams as Isabel who runs an orphanage in India, and Julianne Moore as Theresa, the wealthy entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The story begins with Isabel in India, meditating with the orphans. We see she has a special relationship with one of the young boys. She is notified that a potential American donor would like her to come to New York and discuss her work. Theresa is the potential donor. She invites Isabel to her daughter’s wedding the following day and from there a series of revelations shapes the plot. It is melodramatic, highly contrived, and implausible.

While Moore and Billy Crudup (as Oscar, Theresa’s husband) give reasonable performances, Williams appears to have packed only one expression in her suitcase. She is tiresomely petulant. The film relies on plot elements which are not strong enough to bear the weight.

★★ ½

Reviewed by Rita Bratovich