“My Mother’s Wedding” Is Charming, Bumpy Affair

My Mother’s Wedding (Kristin Scott Thomas, 2023) 3 out of 5 stars

Kristin Scott Thomas has been acting for four decades; she debuted on the big screen in Prince’s 1986 Under the Cherry Moon. With My Mother’s Wedding—which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival as “North Star”—she finally steps behind the camera. Though the result is dramatically uneven in a number of places, the movie nevertheless proves undeniably engaging from start to finish.

And how could it not, with such a cast? In addition to Thomas, herself, playing the titular matriarch, there is Emily Beecham (William Tell), Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon), and Sienna Miller (Wander Darkly) as the three daughters, plus folks like Freida Pinto (Hillbilly Elegy) and James Fleet (who played Thomas’ brother way back when in the 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral) around for good measure. Thomas co-wrote the script with her now-husband, John Micklethwait, and as we learn from a final title card (or from the press notes), the story is inspired by events from her own life.

Our narrative begins with a flashback, rendered in animated black-and-white imagery. Katherine (Johansson), eldest child of mama Diana, is remembering her two fathers, the first biological and the second his replacement, both of whom died in military accidents as British navy pilots. Every time we cut to these memories, the faces are blank, just as they know doubt would be for a person nearing middle age who lost their parents young.

Katherine is the only one who holds recollections of both dads. Her full sister, Victoria (Miller), was too young when the first one died; she only knew the second. Georgina (Beecham), their half-sister, was born from the next marriage. The “my” of the title rests heavily on Katherine’s shoulders now that Diana is going to yet again change her last name, seemingly erasing the external manifestation of the past. It’s a burden that informs much of the movie’s conflict.

Katherine is about to be elevated to the command of a British aircraft carrier (the first woman to be so appointed), having followed both paternal figures into the service that killed them. Victoria is a successful Hollywood actress, and Georgina a nurse. Each labors under various insecurities and complexes related to their upbringing and place in the family hierarchy.

Each also struggles in their romantic relationships. Katherine is gay and shares custody of her son with partner Jack (Pinto), who would love to make their commitment even more official through marriage. Something holds Katherine back. In Victoria’s case, she allows wealthy, older men to pursue her, rather than chasing her own desires. She also has a son. Finally, though Georgina may have gotten hitched long ago and has two children to show for it, she is relatively certain her husband cheats on her regularly. She has hired a private detective to find out for sure.

If all of this seems like it threatens to overwhelm Diana’s ceremony, that’s the point. Though her chosen beau, Geoff (Fleet), is a sweet chap and clearly loves Diana, none of the daughters focus on that. Instead, they go down various rabbit holes, ostensibly in pursuit of personal solutions but really just to wallow in private misery. Something will have to change.

And it will, but how we get there can be rough. Everyone has charm to spare and periodic sequences sparkle, yet Thomas can’t resist scenes of cloying sentiment that derail otherwise meaningful exchanges. Fortunately, she also throws in some light comedy (and also some broad) that leavens the mood.

Ultimately, My Mother’s Wedding is a tale about finding oneself, particularly as a woman. From experience comes the wisdom to make better choices. Or so we hope. In the meantime, there’s plenty to move us here, despite the cinematic bumps along the way.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.