Wedding Advice

D.H. Lawrence, who was definitely in a position to know, once said "we shed our sickness in our books." The same could be said about a lot of documentary filmmaking these days. There's currently enough kvetch verité out there in the world to keep dozens of film festivals well-stocked with anguished, self-lacerating reflection and cinematic psychoanalysis. While Wedding Advice doesn't exactly fit into this agonized and agonizing mold, it's fairly clear that filmmakers Karen Sosnoski and Fred Zeytoonjian undertook the project to work out what we in California fondly call "issues"--in this case, issues having to do with tying the old proverbial knot. It's not that Karen and Fred have commitment problems (they've lived together for 18 years, after all); it's just that the thought of formalizing the union seems to give them the interpersonal whim-whams. Cowed by indecision and intimidated by continuing societal pressure to wed, they fire up the ol' camcorder and turn to friends, strangers, and other relationship "experts" to talk them through the ordeal. Unfortunately for the viewer, Karen and Fred's earnest foraging for advice yields little more than a pastiche of remarkably unedifying, and often downright perplexing sight and sound bites. Married friends offer platitudes or shallow observation when they aren't bickering in front of the camera; singles are clueless; and author Chrys Ingraham pops up periodically, like some nuptial dog in the manger, to remind us that marriage is a patriarchal, repressive institution. Although an attempt has been made by the filmmakers to organize these segments into broad themes ("Wedding Dreams and Nightmares," "Grandma's Wedding Story," etc.), there is very little overall flow or sense of direction to the discussion, while the look and feel of the piece is definitely that of mildly talented home videography. The fact that there are few interesting documentaries out there dealing with the institution of marriage make the shortcoming of this one all the more lamentable. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (G. Handman)