"You're terrible, Muriel."Muriel Hislop likes life . . . even if the favor's not exactly returned. Just out of school, she's two things a girl's not supposed to be: un-hip and unattractive. She’s also unintelligent, untalented and irresponsible but that's not enough to interfere with her ambitious fantasy-life of wanting--more than anything--to be a bride. Grabbing out at ‘friends’, fashion, and good times in an aimless effort to corral her desire, Muriel finds that her intentions, genuine as they may be, just aren't lining up with her disco-ey montage of a white wedding. Neither do they line up with other people's expectations as her antics prompt some abrupt (and vivid) recoils among family and peers. Left alone but still intent on her desire, Muriel embarks on her next best option: she agrees to marry a foreigner seeking citizenship.
This movie is comedy but it still captures a lucid realism following Muriel--a bit dim but no pretender--in her search for fulfillment, ultimately realizing that life's zest isn't always about where (or how) you look. Even juxtaposed events like her mother's suicide tend to clarify her 
world of emotional isolation and deferred enthusiasm. Priceless comic relief is never far off though; Muriel's impeccably satirized queen bee counterparts, all hopelessly into themselves and out of touch with reality, filling the gaps where necessary. Juggling both humor and drama doesn't always work, but exceptions like this almost credit the failures for trying. "Toni Collette doesn't play Muriel as much as she inhabits the role"*; realizing the offbeat heroine with enough authenticity to flesh out, not just a character, but an entire persona. Throw in Rachel Griffiths performance as the bosom buddy, and you have two Oscar nominees in a film which wasted no time adopting cult status.
world of emotional isolation and deferred enthusiasm. Priceless comic relief is never far off though; Muriel's impeccably satirized queen bee counterparts, all hopelessly into themselves and out of touch with reality, filling the gaps where necessary. Juggling both humor and drama doesn't always work, but exceptions like this almost credit the failures for trying. "Toni Collette doesn't play Muriel as much as she inhabits the role"*; realizing the offbeat heroine with enough authenticity to flesh out, not just a character, but an entire persona. Throw in Rachel Griffiths performance as the bosom buddy, and you have two Oscar nominees in a film which wasted no time adopting cult status. *Schneider, Steven Jay., ed. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Hapuppauge: Barron's, 2005. p. 247.
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