Polish Wedding (1998)

Director:

Theresa Connelly

Writer:

Theresa Connelly (written by)

Release Date:

17 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes the further you stray, the closer you are to home.

Plot:

The film centers on a big Polish family. Jadzia is the mother and the ruler of the Pzoniak family (she has five children)...

Plot Keywords:

Extramarital Affair | Adulterous Wife | Cop | Pregnancy | Independent Film

Cast

Claire Danes	...	Hala
Jon Bradford	...	Sailor
Lena Olin	...	Jadzia
Ramsey Krull	...	Kris
Gabriel Byrne	...	Bolek
Daniel Lapaine	...	Ziggy
Rachel Morrin	...	Ziggy & Sofie's Baby
Rebecca Morrin	...	Ziggy & Sofie's Baby
Mili Avital	...	Sofie
Steven Petrarca	...	Witek
Brian Hoyt	...	Kaz
Christina Romana Lypeckyj	...	Kasia
Peter Carey	...	Piotrus
Rade Serbedzija	...	Roman
Ryan Spahn	...	Kid

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sensuality and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Addis Wechsler Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bolek kneels down to look why the window's open, he's got a shorter cigarette than when we see him again in the next shot.

Quotes:

Jadzia Pzoniak: Nothing is more sacred to me than this - making life and love. That is my religion.

... or maybe it's some other nationality

What the????

Why are these characters supposed to be Polish, and why does the story take place in the present? It seems to be located somewhere in the 50's or 60's in terms of its attitudes and characters. It seems to be located far from urban America in terms of the wacky behavior of its characters. I can't relate to it in any way.

Lena Olin gets my award for the worst accent in the history of film. What was she thinking of? You know, Lena, the reason Meryl Streep gets all those accents right is not just because she's talented (though she is), but because she studies every word, every nuance of the rhythm. What were you thinking of with those rolling Hungarian r's and those throat-clearing Yiddish "ch" sounds.

Why didn't they just make this a family of Potsylvanians living in Crovenia in some dimly-remembered post-war era, and none of this would have bothered me.

As for Gabriel Byrne, this usually talented actor obviously decided not to bother with the accent or the whole damned movie for that matter, and he called in his part. He obviously realized this was no Sophie's Choice, and he just collected his paycheck. In some scenes he used a heavy accent, sometimes a lighter one, sometimes none at all ... one of those Kevin Costner things. On the other hand, Byrne's relationship with his daughter (a capable Claire Danes) was the best part of the movie, although that isn't saying much.

I could only find one hint that the characters were actually Polish ... I think they mentioned Pierogi once.

Forget this turkey. It has a few good moments, but they aren't worth the effort.