Year 1, Day 103
Movie #176: Holy Matrimony (1994)
Length: 93minutes
Starring: Patricia Arquette, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Armin Mueller-Stahl
Plot: A young Hutterite boy must marry his late brother’s wife who comes from outside the community.
Review: I had never heard of this movie until I saw it on Gordon-Levitt’s IMDB page and it looked similar enough to an old favorite of mine - the Tim Allen/Kirstie Alley movie For Richer or Poorer - that I decided to give it a shot. Both movies involve a couple on the run from the law hiding out in an Amish/Hutterite community, where they initially feel out of place but eventually become attached to the people living there. And while the humor is obvious, the plot is ridiculous, and the accents are questionable at best, Holy Matrimony is charming and enjoyable.
Arquette brought the laughs as she tried to fit in with the Hutterite women’s traditional roles. Yeah, they went for the obvious jokes (look at this modern woman struggle with cleaning and cooking, how amusing) but the Havana character was lovable enough that it was endearing. And Baby Gordon-Levitt was adorable, touching, and funny. My favorite scene was when they were stopped by the agents as they crossed the border (“We’re visiting family in Montana for the day….family….Montana…for the day.”) His accent (which caused some initial confusion when I thought it was an Irish accent) ranged from passable to cringe worthy and back again as the movie progressed but you can see his talent standing out even at this young age.
Holy Matrimony isn’t the funniest or most unique comedy out there but it is entertaining and sweet. You can see the ending coming from a mile away but it didn’t stop me from being happy and smiling when it played out on the screen. It’s a quality feel-good movie that succeeded because of its two leads. If it wasn’t for Arquette and Gordon-Levitt, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much.
Rating: B