Feeling like a lost copy of one of Wes Anderson’s recent lesser efforts, Ceremony has many of the same elements that made Anderson’s early work so popular while suffering from some of the same shortfalls of weaker entries like Darjeeling Limited. Director Max Winkler has created an interesting drama about two young men on a weekend getaway to rediscover a friendship on hiatus while one of them attempts to revive a romance with a former love getting married nearby. The cast of Michael Angarano, Lee Pace, and Uma Thurman elevates the film beyond its issues and makes it a pleasant commentary on how views of love change as we get older.
Aspiring children’s book writer and Sam Davis (Anagrano) and his reclusive, inhibited friend Marshall (Reece Thompson) haven’t seen each other in a year. To get their friendship back on track, Sam plans a quiet weekend to a secluded little hotel in upper New York. In their search for excitement, they crash a party at a neighboring house and discover it’s a reception for the impending nuptials of Zoe (Thurman) and pretentious filmmaker Whit Coutell (Pace). Before long, Sam’s over-confident nature shows his hand, and Marshall discovers that Zoe is his ex and that Sam has planned the whole rendezvous in an attempt to break up the wedding. As the festivities leading up to the wedding wear on and Sam and Marshall spend more time with Zoe, Whit, and the rest of the wedding party (including Jake M. Johnson as Zoe’s comic relief brother), flames are rekindled, personalities awakened, and mistakes made.
As Sam, Michael Anagarano seems to channel Jason Schwartzman as directed by Wes Anderson. There’s a level of neurosis hidden beneath all the layers of swagger exuded when he’s around someone who worships him for his perceived success, like Marshall. Even if the characterization feels derived from Schwartzman, Anagarano makes it his own and plays off his co-stars perfectly; his scenes against Thurman and Pace make the film worthwhile. Thurman plays her role very low-key, but when it comes time to deliver the film’s final message she shines. Pace has yet to disappoint and he’s great as Zoe’s somewhat pretentious artiste fiancé-to-be, not playing it off for laughs but on the straight and narrow in such a way that the film couldn’t work without it.
The film’s stance on love’s perception according to age only really comes about in the final third and consequently it never builds enough steam to land with enough force. Thurman does well in bringing the point to a head and carrying off that air of an ex-lover trying her best to impart some wisdom on resistant ears. Do the qualities that attract one person to another change with age? Undoubtedly, and it’s a lesson that most people learn through rejection if they ever fully realize it at all.
Director Winkler’s film doesn’t have any incredible visual flair, but the upstate New York setting with its fields and beaches gives the film a little bit of unexpected beauty for framing the story. The countryside looks great in HD and lots of close-quarters scenes in small warmly lit rooms makes for plenty of opportunity for details to pop, and the Blu-ray is a great way to see Ceremony. The film’s audio is an interesting beast as, like with Anderson’s film, it makes heavy use of a soundtrack for scene transitions but whether or not that necessitates crystal clear sound is debatable. Overall, the presentation on Blu-ray is great, but there’s a good chance that the DVD would make for a comparable viewing experience.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
For an indie film, Ceremony has an unexpectedly high number of extras on its disc including a behind the scenes featurette, an interview with Director Max Winkler on his visualization of the film, the funny, full version of the film made by Lee Pace’s character, and the usual assortment of outtakes and deleted and extended scenes.
"Ceremony" is on sale June 21, 2011 and is rated R. Written and directed by Max Winkler. Starring Lee Pace, Michael Angarano, Reece Thompson, Uma Thurman.
