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Review: Strong cast carries ‘Cheerful Weather for the Wedding’

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The English manor comedy “Cheerful Weather for the Wedding” is lifted immensely by its cast, actors who can get their minds and mouths around the quip-heavy dialogue in the story of a young woman, Dolly (“Like Crazy” ingénue Felicity Jones), who may be more interested in a former paramour (Luke Treadaway) than the poor fellow she is about to marry.

As family and assorted hangers-on flit about, many minor personal dramas bubble up while Dolly tries to make up her mind about her future.

Adapted from Julia Strachey’s 1932 novella by Mary Henely Magill and Donald Rice, the film, also Rice’s feature directing debut, offers a playfully pleasant mix of wit and romance.

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Elizabeth McGovern plays the optimistically pushy mother of Jones’ Dolly Thatcham; a stable of performers including Fenella Woolgar, Mackenzie Crook, Zoë Tapper, Olly Alexander and Ellie Kendrick flit from room to room wondering what’s become of Mrs. Whitstable or looking for the chauffeur.

(It doesn’t hurt that everyone looks smashing in their period outfits, with Jones’ outfits in particular being remarkably on-trend for the moment.)

Rice does a fine job of juggling so many characters and moving smoothly among flashbacks without losing sight of the main story.

There isn’t much of anything here that hasn’t been done elsewhere, but as the film rolls merrily along it reminds why wedding comedies are such ripe targets: A little boy says near the end, “If you want one good reason not to get married, go to a family wedding.”

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“Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.” No MPAA rating. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes. At Laemmle’s Noho 7, North Hollywood.

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