''Betsy's Wedding'' is a 1990 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film written and directed by

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

. The film stars Alda,

Joey Bishop Joseph Abraham Gottlieb (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007), known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a Talk ...

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch comedy, sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dra ...

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for portraying tough, volatile characters, in a variety of genres, and for his collaborations with his best friend, Robert De Niro in the films ' ...

, Ally Sheedy, Bibi Besch, Burt Young, and Molly Ringwald. It was theatrically released in the United States on June 22, 1990, by

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

Plot

Eddie Hopper is a construction contractor from

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and dad of two daughters. One of them, Betsy, is about to be married. Money is tight in the Hopper household, but Eddie, much to the dismay of his wife, Lola, decides that it is important to throw a lavish wedding to impress the wealthy family of Betsy's fiancé. Everyone in the family is throwing advice Eddie's way, even his father's ghost. A new house Eddie is building is adding to his financial and emotional woes. In desperation, he turns to his corrupt brother-in-law, Oscar, who ends up getting Eddie involved with loan sharks. Stevie Dee is sent to keep an eye on Eddie, but instead turns his gaze to Connie Hopper, who is not only a police officer but the bride's sister. Betsy's wedding ultimately goes ahead as planned, but is disrupted by a torrential downpour of rain.

Cast

Production

The plot was reportedly inspired by the marriage of Alda's youngest daughter.

Reception

Critical response

''Betsy's Wedding'' received mixed reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

it has an approval rating of 56% based on reviews from 16 critics. Reviews of the film included comments such as "threadbare concoction", "narcissism flourishing like ragweed" and "unctuous". ''Betsy's Wedding'' has been cited as launching the film career of Anthony LaPaglia. Joe Pesci was asked about the film in interviews and declined to discuss it.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Alan Alda 1990 films 1990 romantic comedy films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American romantic comedy films Films about families Films about weddings in the United States Films directed by Alan Alda Films produced by Martin Bregman Films scored by Bruce Broughton Films shot in New York City Films shot in North Carolina Films with screenplays by Alan Alda Touchstone Pictures films English-language romantic comedy films