The Wedding Guest (2018 film)
The Wedding Guest is a 2018 British-American action-thriller film written and directed by Michael Winterbottom. It stars Dev Patel, Radhika Apte and Jim Sarbh.
| The Wedding Guest | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Winterbottom |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Michael Winterbottom |
| Starring | Dev Patel Radhika Apte Jim Sarbh |
| Music by | Harry Escott |
| Cinematography | Giles Nuttgens |
| Edited by | Marc Richardson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | IFC Films Sony Pictures Releasing International |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $386,166[1] |
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018. It was released in the United States on March 1, 2019, by IFC Films.
Plot
Jay, who is British, is hired to kidnap a woman at her wedding in Pakistan. Once in Pakistan, he travels to Younganabad, switching car rentals and buying equipment he'll need. He scouts the town including the family home in which the wedding party are staying. Later that night, he sneaks into the house and kidnaps the bride, Samira, at gunpoint. He tapes her mouth, secures her hands with zip-ties and covers her head. As he leads her from the house, a guard witnesses the kidnapping and tries to intervene. Jay shoots him dead. He places Samira in the trunk of his car and flees the scene.
Jay eventually removes the duct tape from Samira’s mouth and explains why he kidnapped her. Samira was expecting Jay because she was in an arranged marriage and in love with another man, Deepesh, who hired Jay. Jay gives Samira the choice to continue to Lahore and meet Deepesh or return to her family and the marriage. Samira chooses to continue to Lahore. Samira asks Jay to uncover her head and untie her hands, which he does.
They drive to Amritsar. Jay purchases phones and SIM cards and attempts to reach Deepesh. Samira tells Jay the number he has for Deepesh is his UK phone and that he has a local number. Deepesh tells Jay that he is not at the rendezvous in Amritsar and is in London and that he will be in India the following day.
The kidnapping and killing makes the news causing Deepesh to change his mind about bringing Samira. In New Delhi, Deepesh tells Jay to bring Samira back. Jay agrees but tells Deepesh he will need a further £20,000. Jay tells Samira about this. She tells Jay that she does not want to go and instead wants to see Deepesh.
In Jaipur, Jay meets Deepesh, who gives him half the money he asked for. Deepesh tells Jay he will have the other half once the job is complete. Jay tells him that he needs all of his money. Deepesh tells Jay that he can have it the next day. Jay tells Deepesh to go to a hotel where he and Samira will meet him.
Deepesh collects Jay and Samira, and they go to the hotel. Samira asks if she and Deepesh can speak in private. Jay agrees and tells Deepesh to pull over so he can get out. He continues driving until Jay pulls his pistol. Jay demands the rest of his money, then exits the car. Jay hears Deepesh and Samira arguing and sees Deepesh hit Samira. Jay drags Deepesh out. The pair fight. Jay turns his back to check on Samira and Deepesh attacks him with a rock. Jay grabs the rock and kills Deepesh.
Samira starts the SUV and calls Jay. She asks if she can trust him to which he replies no, but she chooses to offer him a deal. She and Deepesh intended to sell diamonds stolen from his family - forged replacements for which had been left in their place. She offers to split the jewels with Jay and he agrees.
Jay leaves to get gas and supplies to dispose of the body. He returns and incinerates Deepesh's body, and the pair head to the hotel with Jay assuming Deepesh's identity. They create a tale that they are travelling to Nepal. They sell the SUV to a fence who puts them in touch with a buyer for the jewels. The jeweller refuses to handle the sale because the value of one stone exceeds $100,000.
They head for Goa and rent a house, becoming involved. One morning Jay wakes to find Samira gone. She calls him to tell him she is sorry but that while she can not, he can go home because no one knows who he is. Samira tells Jay she will miss him. Samira cuts off the call after Jay tells her that if she needs anything she can call. Samira rides a bus while Jay sits alone.
Cast
- Dev Patel as Jay
- Radhika Apte as Samira
- Jim Sarbh as Deepesh
In addition, Harish Khanna plays Nitin, who provides Jay with forged documents in Jaipur.
Production
In November 2017, it was announced Dev Patel had joined the cast of the film, with Michael Winterbottom directing from a screenplay he wrote.[2]
Release
It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018.[3] Shortly after, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[4] It was released in the United States on March 1, 2019.[5]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 43% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 5.61/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Wedding Guest makes a compelling argument for Dev Patel as an actor worthy of diverse leading roles, even if the movie's less than the sum of its action thriller parts."[6] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]
References
- "The Wedding Guest (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- Ramachandran, Naman (2017-11-14). "Dev Patel to Star in 'The Wedding Guest' From Michael Winterbottom". Variety. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- Vlessing, Etan (2018-07-24). "Toronto: Timothee Chalamet Starrer 'Beautiful Boy,' Dan Fogelman's 'Life Itself' Among Festival Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- Keslassy, Elsa (October 30, 2018). "Michael Winterbottom's 'The Wedding Guest' Bought by IFC Films for U.S. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- Li, Shirley (February 1, 2019). "Dev Patel kidnaps the bride in The Wedding Guest trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- "The Wedding Guest (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- "The Wedding Guest Rewievs". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
