Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994                   TAG: 9404090018
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`FOUR WEDDINGS' LOOKS LIKE A HIT

Movies like "In the Name of the Father" and "The Crying Game" have found large audiences. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" could well be the next on the list. It's an unapologetic romantic comedy, and as the title suggests, it manages to combine light flirtatious humor with a serious side.

It is so British in tone, locations, accents and sensibility that it may not appeal to all audiences. But anyone with the slightest Anglophilic bent shouldn't hesitate. This is your movie.

The main characters are Charles (Hugh Grant), a charming bachelor with a string of ex-girlfriends, and Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American in England. They catch each other's eyes at the first of the four weddings, and hit it off, in a manner of speaking. Nothing about their relationship is conventional. For starters, there's Carrie's imminent return to America, and then there's Charles' self-confessed inability to stick with one woman.

His colorful friends are no help either. Gareth (Simon Callow) is a flamboyant, larger-than-life character who lives with Matthew (John Hannah). Icy Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) and the flaky Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) are absolute opposites. Tom (James Fleet) guesses that he's the sixth or seventh richest man in the country but has no luck at all with women. Rounding out the group is David (David Bower), Charles' mute brother.

The film follows the progress of all of them through the other events listed in the title, and to reveal any more would spoil the fun.

Writer and co-producer Richard Curtis has considerable experience with British television, including the series "Blackadder." Video fans know his work through the fine comedy "The Tall Guy." Like that cult hit, this one is intelligent, witty and a bit bawdy. The real key, though, are the engaging, original characters.

Director Mike Newell continues the short streak of offbeat crowd-pleasers he began last year with "Enchanted April" and "Into the West." If this one isn't quite as wonderful as those two, it's close. Newell handles this material with the same sure hand, balancing large crowded scenes with quieter moments and giddy courtship with real grief. He must have had a good relationship with his cast. The supporting characters almost steal the film with a series of bright cameo moments, but the leads hold their own.

This role doesn't test Andie MacDowell's obvious limits as an actress. She tends to look like she wandered into the film from the slick pages of a clothing catalog, but that fits. The real surprise is Hugh Grant. His performance is so winning and convincing that he gives this airy material some welcome dramatic weight.

Coming between winter's Oscar contenders and summer's blockbusters, spring tends to be a slow season at the movies. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is a happy exception, a sexy, mature comedy that ought to be a solid commercial hit.

Four Weddings and a Funeral *** 1/2

A Gramercy Pictures release playing at the Grandin Theatre. 115 min. Rated R for a little strong language, sexual material, subject matter.