Weddings can bring out the best and the worst in people all around the world. After all, they're one of the most stressful yet most joyous occasions a human can experience. Weddings, in films, like the to up the antics, creating over-the-top weddings and on occasions, complete and utter disasters.
While weddings in films are not something new, the 90s seemed to give birth to an entirely new genre of films: the wedding genre. Instead of weddings just being a plot point to an overall story, weddings became the central plot for a film, prompting viewers to ask the question: "Will the couple say 'I do' or will they go running for the hills?" Like all films, some wedding films in the 90s were better received than others.
Runaway Bride (1999) - 46%
Coming in at number 10 on the list of best wedding film of the 1990s is the 1999 wedding classic Runaway Bride, directed by the legendary Garry Marshall and starring, once again, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. The film centers on Maggie, a bride who has run away from the altar three times already, and Ike, a reporter who does a story on Maggie's past.
As Maggie gets ready to walk down the aisle for the fourth time, Ike follows her to her hometown to update his story, but instead, he ends up falling for Maggie. Though Roberts and Gere won the hearts of millions in Pretty Woman, their chemistry wasn't quite on par in Runaway Bride for many viewers.
Only You (1994) - 52%
Only You centers on Faith Corvatch (Marisa Tomei), a young woman who is convinced that she is destined to marry someone named "Damon Bradley." Despite her years of waiting, no one by the name ever crosses paths with Faith and she ends up engaged to a podiatrist. Faith begins to second guess her relationship though and decides to fly to Venice in the hopes of connecting with her "soulmate." Instead, she meets Peter Wright (Robert Downey Jr.) and begins to fall for him, too.
While the film was met with mixed reviews and even earned the title of the fifth-worst film of the year according to Los Angeles Daily News, critics couldn't deny that Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. gave masterful performances.
Honeymoon In Vegas (1992) - 63%
Honeymoon In Vegas puts a unique spin on the wedding film genre by centering its story around a con gone wrong. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Betsy in the film, an engaged woman who is lent to a professional con man to act as his fiancée on a Hawaiian vacation in order to pay off her real fiance's gambling debts. Things, of course, take a turn when Betsy begins to fall in love with her captive in a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome.
In addition to Parker, Nicolas Cage and James Caan also starred in this 1992 romantic comedy. Though the film only boasts a 63% on Rotton Tomatoes, it did go on to be nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including one for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy.
The Wedding Singer (1998) - 68%
Adam Sandler sheds his Billy Madison persona when he starred in The Wedding Singer as Robbie Hart. Set in 1985, the film centers around Robbie, a wedding singer who has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to love. While working, he meets Julia (Drew Barrymore), who hires him to help her plan her upcoming wedding. Things get complicated when Robbie finds himself falling for Julia, despite the fact that she is engaged.
The Wedding Singer marked the first time Sandler and Barrymore shared the screen, thus beginning their onscreen partnership which continues today. The film is one of Sandler's most popular and has become a bit of a cult classic over the years.
Father Of The Bride (1991) - 70%
Diane Keaton and Steve Martin share the screen as Mr. and Mrs. Banks in the 1991 wedding classic film Father of the Bride. Though a bride is a star of the wedding, Steve Martin's character George Banks certainly steals the show in this film. After their daughter Annie returns from studying abroad, she announces that she is engaged. The film thus chronicles the lead up to the wedding, which involves all the usual wedding fanfare dramatized by the fact that George butts head with Annie's over-the-top wedding planners.
A remake of a 1950 film, Father of the Bride became a massive success when it was released. The success led to a sequel, which centered on Annie becoming a mother for the first time.
The Best Man (1999) - 72%
Unlike most wedding films which center on the bride, The Best Man centered on the groom and his best friends - a welcome change to the wedding genre. Written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the film centers on Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), an author who writes a book loosely based on his friend group. In the midst of his book release, Harper is also set to be the best man in his best friend's wedding. However, when an early release of his book starts circulating, he must figure out a way to keep the truth about his inspiration for the novel under wraps.
The film was a commercial success and led to the release of a holiday sequel in 2013. The film also marked Regina Hall's acting debut.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) - 73%
Julia Roberts finds herself back on the list of best wedding films of the 1990s, this time for her role as Julianne Potter in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding. The film centers on two childhood friends who made a pact that they would marry each other if neither of them had found love by the age of 28. Julianne is banking on this plan and is devastated to learn that Michael (Dermot Mulroney) has proposed to his girlfriend just four days before Julianne's 28th birthday.
My Best Friend's Wedding was a huge commercial success, earning $299.3 million at the global box office. In addition, its score earned an Academy Award nomination.
Muriel's Wedding (1994) - 78%
Australian films may be highly underrated, but Muriel's Wedding managed to break through the noise and become a success, even in the United States. The film starred Toni Collette as Muriel, a socially awkward girl who always dreamed about having an elegant wedding. Determined to find true love, she moves to Syndey and attempts to start over in the hopes of wooing someone.
Muriel's Wedding became a cult classic that earned Toni Collete a Golden Globe nomination for acting. In addition, the film was adapted for the stage in 2016.
The Wedding Banquet (1993) - 9.6%
The Wedding Banquet centers on Wai-Tung (Winston Chao), a gay man who hasn't come out to his traditional Taiwanese parents, despite the fact that he has a boyfriend. Not wanting to disappoint his parents, he agrees to marry Wei-Wei (May Chin), a young artist who is hoping the marriage will allow her to move to the United States on a green card visa.
The film was co-produced between Taiwan and the United States and ended up turning a profit of $23.6 million against a $1 million budget, making it both critically and commercially successful.
Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994) - 96%
Before Four Weddings and a Funeral was a Hulu mini-series, it was a hit wedding film released in 1994. The film centers on Charles and his group of friends, whose lives are intertwined and defined by the moments they share together, including both weddings and a funeral.
Four Weddings and a Funeral's success was a massive surprise to the British production company. The film became the highest-grossing British film of all time upon its release and also earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.