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The Rewatchables ·

My Best Friend's Wedding

year 1997decade 90sdirector P. J. Hogangenre Drama
host Bill Simmonshost Juliet Litmanhost Amanda Dobbins
All 15 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 31:24

The karaoke scene

The host running the category leaves the choice to the other two and lists candidates: the karaoke scene, Rupert Everett singing 'Say a Little Prayer' (a spouse's favorite four minutes of the movie), the 'choose me, marry me' speech, which is both crazy and heartfelt and which the hosts connect to Grey's Anatomy, Notting Hill and 90210's Kelly Taylor 'I choose me', the bathroom fight at Comiskey Park, and the ending with giant cell phones that somehow had service everywhere in 1997.

One more nominee is the boat scene, where she and Dermot Mulroney almost talk about their feelings, then dance while he sings 'The Way You Look Tonight'.

The film

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Directed by P. J. Hogan · Drama

104 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

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Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

31:24

Most Rewatchable Scene

The karaoke scene; the 'Say a Little Prayer' lunch

The karaoke scene; the 'Say a Little Prayer' lunch

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:24Read transcript
  • The host running the category leaves the choice to the other two and lists candidates: the karaoke scene, Rupert Everett singing 'Say a Little Prayer' (a spouse's favorite four minutes of the movie), the 'choose me, marry me' speech, which is both crazy and heartfelt and which the hosts connect to Grey's Anatomy, Notting Hill and 90210's Kelly Taylor 'I choose me', the bathroom fight at Comiskey Park, and the ending with giant cell phones that somehow had service everywhere in 1997.
  • One more nominee is the boat scene, where she and Dermot Mulroney almost talk about their feelings, then dance while he sings 'The Way You Look Tonight'.
  • The karaoke scene is the pick because it shows the whole range of emotions for everyone involved, and Cam really brings it. — Juliet Litman
  • The 'Say a Little Prayer' lunch is the pick: iconic, a laugh every single time, especially the cutaway to the lobster restaurant where people in lobster mitts wave their hands; it also highlights how 90s rom-coms outside Nora Ephron's used a chirping ensemble like a musical. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Another host's personal favorite is the bathroom fight: the best acting of Cameron Diaz, thirty women in the women's bathroom rolling with the punches and getting mad at Julia Roberts, two famous actresses at the peak of their powers in a showdown; its climax, the 'and a food critic' jab, is parked for what's aged the worst.
  • The recap splits the two deciders between the karaoke scene and the lunch singing scene, both singing scenes; the helium kids appear at the Sunday brunch before the wedding and are high comedy.
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35:36

What’s Aged the Best?

The title; Julia Roberts' and Cameron Diaz's looks; Chicago as a character; the White Sox setting; Cameron Diaz's BMW...

The title; Julia Roberts' and Cameron Diaz's looks; Chicago as a character; the White Sox setting; Cameron Diaz's BMW convertible; Julia sharing the screen with Diaz; the ending; Julia's crop tops and two pairs of sunglasses; someone telling you not to smoke; the backup pact

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:36Read transcript
  • The title has aged best: rom-coms from about 1988 to 1998 had fantastic four-word titles that explained the movie, like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and While You Were Sleeping.
  • Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz have aged fantastically; Julia has never looked better in a movie and Cameron Diaz probably hasn't either, both at the peak of their powers, though one host found Diaz's hairstyle too frumpy and the shift dresses too many.
  • Chicago is used nicely as a character: a great summer city that is minus nine with a wind chill in December, telegenic with big buildings and cool suburban spaces; it is also a White Sox movie rather than a Cubs movie, which was ahead of its time in picking the cool team, perhaps because the Cubs would not allow it or for money.
  • Cameron Diaz's BMW convertible, seen when she picks Julia up at the airport, is an iconic mid-90s car; the driving scenes are funny, she is a terrible driver, and it is the only point where the movie puts you in Julia Roberts' perspective.
  • Julia being okay battling for screen time with Cameron Diaz has aged really nicely, since most top-tier list actresses would not have been cool with that; the ending where she does not end up with him also holds up.
  • How beautiful Julia Roberts looks, in a style that is current again, is one host's hands-down choice: the half shirt or crop top, the two pairs of sunglasses, outfits Zoe Simmons tries to wear now, and the small sunglasses Kanye told Kim are in; smoking is not in, but having someone tell you not to smoke still is.
  • The concept of the backup pact, if we're not married by a certain age, really started with this movie and is now seen everywhere, having taken on a life of its own. — Amanda Dobbins
  • The pact's age limit of 28 is far too low and seems very early now; if someone did this today it would be more like 38, a point that had been planned for what's aged the worst.
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38:56

What’s Aged the Worst?

Michael's job at Sport Magazine; a rich 20-year-old dropping out of school for a sports writer; the baseball-and-Spur...

Michael's job at Sport Magazine; a rich 20-year-old dropping out of school for a sports writer; the baseball-and-Spurs confusion; Julia pretending to marry a gay man; the ring-sucking moment; Dermot Mulroney's vacant performance; forging the email; the easy access to a billionaire's email; Julia staying on as maid of honor; the gift-of-the-song speech and the bathroom hug; Michael forgiving her

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:56Read transcript
  • Michael's big job is at Sport Magazine, which even in the late 90s was not a thing any more; one host assumed it was made up or meant to be Sports Illustrated, but it was the biggest magazine of the 50s and 60s, still good in the 70s, dying in the 80s and done by the 90s, and probably the only magazine the film could get the rights to; one host had a subscription in 2000.
  • Rich girl Cameron Diaz drops out of school at 20 to follow a sports writer, which a host who was a sports writer in the mid-90s calls a low-paying job nobody would drop out to follow around crappy Major League Baseball games; the film also shifts confusingly between baseball and the San Antonio Spurs, which should have counted as foreshadowing the San Antonio dynasty under what's aged the best, since they had not yet won a title.
  • Julia pretending she is marrying a gay guy remains the major flaw: it does not age well, anyone believing it is insane, and she would have mentioned an engagement to her alleged best friend.
  • The moment where he sucks the ring off Julia's finger strikes one host as weird, overly sexual and over the top, to the point that the pair might as well have just started kissing; another host says there is sexual chemistry in the movie and that this is the role Dermot Mulroney is supposed to play, and the objector concedes it is fine even if scientifically it may not work.
  • There are inconsistencies in Dermot Mulroney's moral compass, which may be true to life with a hot man; one host says he looks great in The Family Stone and is adorable but a terrible actor whose motivations are never clear, while another says you are not supposed to know, he is confused, and his cute, vacant look is the point and it works.
  • Forging the email the night before the wedding to try to get him fired is an actual evil act that goes too far and makes you hope the character dies alone; it was not okay in 1997 either, but it plays worse now.
  • What has not aged well is how easily she accesses a billionaire's email by wandering into his office, and the idea that he wrote drafts for his assistant to send; it belongs in a video of great moments from 1994 to 1997 when people did not understand the internet, leading to You Got Mail (as transcribed), called the most dated movie of the last 20 years, one that feels like it came out in the 1800s, though a happier, safer time.
  • She remains the maid of honor despite everything, which is beyond a nitpick; one host likes that the film reveals Kimmy is weirded out, sees the threat and is keeping her close to neutralize her, while another says she should not be at the wedding at all and should be escorted off the property.
  • Her wedding speech points out that she got them no gift and then hands them the song that was her special song with the guy, and Cameron Diaz's character is totally cool with it; the real problem is the bathroom fight ending with Cameron Diaz giving her a hug, when a truce for appearances would do, though at the wedding she goes along with it because rich people do not air problems in public.
  • Him forgiving her after she explains she sent an email from his father-in-law's account to get him fired is a deal breaker; you do not come back as friends after that, and if you are Cameron Diaz she has to go, her number deleted, probably immediately after the wedding; the thought is held for later.
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52:41

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Cameron Diaz's parents: Susan Sullivan and the actor playing her father

Cameron Diaz's parents: Susan Sullivan and the actor playing her father

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:41Read transcript
  • The award is for the person whose name you do not know but whom you recognize; the answer is Cameron Diaz's mom, one of those actresses, and her father as well, since the parents are both those people; the dad is in so many 90s movies and got all the roles Robert Lugia (as transcribed) did not get.
  • Rachel Griffiths and Carrie Preston are also in the wedding party, both loved, from Six Feet Under and Brothers and Sisters; the mother's name is looked up and is Susan Sullivan.
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53:38

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Carrie Preston; the three helium kids

Carrie Preston; the three helium kids

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:38Read transcript
  • Rupert Everett is ruled ineligible because he is in too many scenes, and so is Cameron Diaz; one host picks Carrie Preston, who answers the phone at the end and talks about her sister licking the ice sculpture of the David, and calls her a good CBS sitcom and drama actress now on a CBS show transcribed as 'The Good Way'.
  • Paul Giamatti's big scene as the hotel bellhop who has a life talk with Julia is the most empathetic he has ever been on screen, really strong, though the hosts now have too much history with him and half expected him to take her to an S&M parlor.
  • Another host's choice is the three helium kids, a very small amount of screen time but phenomenal; the Carrie Preston voter sticks with Carrie Preston.
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56:32

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A straight redo rather than a sequel, since the backup-friend premise is timeless; an eight-episode Netflix series sp...

A straight redo rather than a sequel, since the backup-friend premise is timeless; an eight-episode Netflix series spread over eight days with cell phones, though the hosts would still prefer it as a movie

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:32Read transcript
  • This movie should not get a sequel but could simply be redone, a Netflix reboot, because the conversation about your backup is timeless enough; weddings are one of the great constructs for film and TV, as a Succession conversation with Fantasy (as transcribed) noted, because they put every character in one spot with drinking and bad behavior.
  • Asked whether it could have been an eight-episode Netflix show, which one host says should be a standing category, a version spread over eight days with cell phones that starts when she learns he is getting married might work, and one spouse would watch it, but the hosts would still prefer it as a movie for its time limits.
  • Earlier research surfaced the 2001 talk of a My Best Friend's Divorce sequel with Kimmy and Michael splitting, which the hosts find extremely believable.
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57:35

Apex Mountain

Rupert Everett; Julia Roberts; Dermot Mulroney

Rupert Everett; Julia Roberts; Dermot Mulroney

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:35Read transcript
  • Asked whether this is the Apex Mountain of rom-coms, the first answers are a flat no, twice, before the hosts call it essential to the genre, top five for one, the first to twist the rom-com gimmick and the last place the genre could go; whether it is the apex before the genre went downhill draws only a maybe, a case could be made, and a flat not convinced.
  • The twist and the respect for the rom-com form are liked, since it gets the impulse to see people together before twisting it; Notting Hill in 1999 is raised as a further meta-commentary that is really Julia Roberts' life, with her playing a bad person there too.
  • Rupert Everett is a 100 percent yes, an iconic performance and the breakout element the movie needed alongside the comeback star and the second star; he went on to the Madonna movie, which has not aged well, had James Bond talk about whether he could be the first gay Bond, and this remains his most mainstream and most fun performance beside period pieces like Madness of King George and The Importance of Being Earnest.
  • Cameron Diaz is not at her apex here, though she is really good; her apex is There's Something About Mary, a massive movie that arguably deserved an Oscar nomination and made her a gigantic star, after which she dated Matt Dillon and entered the Us Weekly stream.
  • Her dating history is called rough by one host because it never worked out, and impressive by another: Justin Timberlake, the baseball player known as A Rod, a broken nose surfing; the JT age gap is compared to Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling.
  • Julia Roberts is a yes: Pretty Woman blew her up, but this movie re-established her as the most bankable, A plus list actress, set up the next five years and led to her Oscar, so it righted the ship; one voice finds that reasonable, and Ocean's Eleven is floated for her astonishing but not lead role.
  • Chicago as an Apex Mountain is rejected as insulting; Dermot Mulroney is a yes for sure, since it never got better, or worse, for him.
  • An early aside calls 1997 and this film arguably the apex of rom-coms, the top of the crescendo, after which the genre went off a cliff a little.
  • Before the categories, one host previews that Cameron Diaz's Apex Mountain is There's Something About Mary, a role nobody else could have played as likable, funny and slapstick.
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1:03:10

Is This Movie Better With…?

Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:10Read transcript
  • Steve Buscemi for sure: he could have had the Paul Giamatti part or played the wedding caterer, since there are a lot of small roles for him to pop up in.
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1:03:25

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

No overacting identified; only underacting from Dermot Mulroney

No overacting identified; only underacting from Dermot Mulroney

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:25Read transcript
  • Nobody saw any overacting in this movie, just underacting from Dermot Mulroney, which prompts the joke that there should be a Dermot Mulroney underacting award; if you look like that, you do not have to try.
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1:21:12

Who Won the Movie?

Rupert Everett; Julia Roberts

Rupert Everett; Julia Roberts

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:12Read transcript
  • The first answer is Rupert Everett, a lasting, scene-stealing performance, illustrated with his 'maybe there won't be marriage, maybe there won't be sex, but by God there'll be dancing' clip.
  • The counter-pick is Julia: a case exists for all three, and the film establishes Cameron Diaz as someone who can go toe-to-toe with the top actress of her generation, but this is Julia's comeback A plus list movie that sets up the run to America's sweetheart and her Oscar; the others agree a case can be made for the other two.
  • Cam is great and rules; no other actress went toe-to-toe with Julia in her extended prime, and in Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's 12 she does not interact with any women, as if she learned from Cameron Diaz; Stepmom with Susan Sarandon is remembered as a weird 1998 movie she loses and should not have taken.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Rupert Everett
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Julia Roberts
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