There's nothing better than being there from the beginning with someone in the entertainment industry. With that, you can follow them from their humble beginnings through to stardom. Be it that first album or a bit part in a movie, it's fun to watch someone's career evolve and grow (and more often than not, decline). The flipside of this is arriving late in the game or playing catch up. This can create an odd dynamic and uneven expectations. This is what I experienced while watching Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Four Weddings and a Funeral introduces us to the perpetually late Charles (Hugh Grant). He and his roommate, Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) are constantly being invited to weddings and they can never seem to get there on time, despite the fact that their circle of friends -- Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas), Tom (James Fleet), Gareth (Simon Callow), Matthew (John Hannah), and David (David Bower) -- have no problem with this. While at a wedding, Charles meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American spending time in England. He is immediately attracted to her and the two spend the night together. A few months later, Charles runs into Carrie at another wedding, but the situation has changed -- she is engaged. This unfortunate turn makes Charles realize that he has feelings for Carrie. However, he realizes that he must ignore them, as she is to be married. But, as they continue to encounter one another, Charles finds that the feelings can't be ignored.

And I have to say, given their track record, I was disappointed seeing Four Weddings and a Funeral seventeen years after its debut. Now, that's not to say that it's not a good movie, because it is, it simply doesn't have the kind of charm and original voice found in their other movies. Curtis seems to like writing films about large groups of characters and friendships, and Four Weddings and a Funeral certainly has a healthy dose of this. The problem here is that there is very little character development. Everyone here is a stereotype and the movie never tries to push beyond this. Charles is the main character and all that we learn about him is that he can't hold onto a girlfriend. The other main characters fall into categories like "uptight woman", "eccentric woman", "rich clod", etc. This keeps much of the movie on a surface level, making it difficult to feel a real connection with the characters. This certainly contrasts with the bounty of emotions found in Love Actually.

But, again, Four Weddings and a Funeral isn't a bad movie and it does have some things going for it. Hugh Grant had been working for over a decade when this film was released, but Four Weddings and a Funeral was his first big role and he brings a great deal of charm and humor to the movie. With glasses which make him resemble Clark Kent, Grant stammers and bumbles his way through the film, creating a character who is clearly attractive to women, but so goofy that he doesn't intimidate men. The movie's unique plot structure never lets us see the group outside of the five events listed in the title, and this sets up a certain storytelling dynamic. Within these settings, the movie doesn't shy away from awkward and humorous scenes which demonstrate how people can act if they're with a group of strangers who they may not see again.

For me, watching Four Weddings and a Funeral was like an archaeological dig. I was able to see where British rom-coms had been in the past, and this gave me a better appreciation of where they are today. The movie has some laughs and touching moments, but I prefer the later work of Richard Curtis.

Four Weddings and a Funeral perpetuates the myth that people hook up at weddings on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 35 Mbps. This Blu-ray offers a fairly standard transfer for a movie which is nearly 20 years old. The image is sharp and clear, showing only mild grain. There are some occasional defects from the source material, such as black dots, but these are rare. The colors look very good, particularly bright tones. The movie isn't overly dark or bright, but it is somewhat flat and dull looking, not having the sort of depth that we've come to expect from Blu-ray. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. Despite being a 5.1 track, most of the audio is confined to the front and center channels. The stereo effects are good, and most notable when music is playing. The crowd noises never overpower the dialogue.

The Four Weddings and a Funeral Blu-ray Disc contains an assortment of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Mike Newell, Producer Duncan Kenworthy, and Writer/Co-Executive Producer Richard Curtis. "Four Weddings and a Funeral: In the Making" (8 minutes) is a relatively short archival featurette which looks at the film's production. We get comments from the cast and filmmakers, who talk about the story and characters. "The Wedding Planners" (30 minutes) is a more modern featurette which takes an in-depth look at the movie. Grant, Newell, Curtis and other reflect on the movie, the script, and the reaction to the movie. "Two Actors and a Director" (6 minutes) has Newell commenting on the casting of Grant and MacDowell, who also comment here. The Disc contains five DELETED SCENES which run about 4 minutes and can be viewed with commentary from Producer Duncan Kenworthy. These are all brief and contains small moments from scenes already in the film. We get two PROMOTIONAL SPOTS (2 minutes) which show Grant and MacDowell on the set. This is followed by the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.