Riddle me this, fair reader: What do you get when you team two of the funniest people in entertainment, from two of the funniest sitcoms ever made, and plop them down as a soon-to-be-wed couple in a film that’s similar to a Christopher Guest slice of life?
Buzz! Too late, you get “Confetti,” which sees Jessica Stevenson (“Spaced”) and Martin Freeman (“The Office”) as a young couple about to be wed in an utter fiasco, with rather entertaining results.
Popular bridal rag “Confetti” Magazine is holding a contest, and the couple with the craziest idea for their wedding wins a free house worth £500,000, which in a hilarious twist is only featured as an “artist’s impression.” Isitt’s film sets its focus on three sets of newlyweds vying for this house, but the recognizable faces to American audiences will be Freeman and Stevenson.
“Confetti” will click with fans of Christopher Guest mock documentaries mainly because director Isitt really seems to be influenced by the elements of Guest’s classic comedies with interviews, improvisation, odd one-liners, a reality-based plot, musical numbers, and, of course, the awkward reactionary comedy most British comedies are so akin to.
In spite of the obvious abundance of comedic talent present, “Confetti” really has a true emotional core where it manages to reach down into real emotions of soon to be wed couples and their utter battles with selfish relatives. Everyone but the couples are out to include themselves for their own selfish gain, and with the comedy, there’s also some rather touching drama.
Stevenson and Freeman are two in particular who not only give very good performances, but manage to sell the dramatic moments for the audience intent on watching “Confetti” only for a laugh. Freeman and Stevenson are very believable as a couple, and their story is utterly touching.
Much like Guest’s films, “Confetti” relies on a melancholy story, it relies on supplying us with characters we can laugh at, yet still sympathize for. Joseph and Isabelle is a competitive couple whose entire life is tennis. Joseph seeks to win beyond all costs, even if it means losing his wife. In a more comedic angle, Joanna and Michael are naturists who want to get married naked in spite of the magazine’s press and public display, and insist on being married in the nude, regardless.
“Confetti” really manages to take the audiences expectations to another level, using its main attractions as more dramatic nuances rather than forcing physical or raunchy comedy, and I was really surprised at the chemistry and tenderness Stevenson and Freeman display as newlyweds who just want to get married in spite of selfish relatives, and controlling in-laws.
One true ingredient Isitt’s film does lack in is laugh out loud humor, which occasionally makes itself seen in brief instances only to disappear, which is rather perplexing considering all of the dialogue is improvised. Anyone looking for a drama with a comedic level needs to look no further than “Confetti,” but I was prepared to take on the film and its flaws and enjoyed it for its frank peek into marriage.
