To paraphrase Tolstoy, happy weddings are all alike, but unhappy weddings are each unhappy in their own way. That’s good news for moviegoers, as happy, snag-free weddings aren’t much fun to watch. But there’s plenty of vicarious pleasure to be had in watching weddings go off the rails. At least, that’s what the makers of the new all-star farce The Big Wedding are counting on.
Many recent films have focused on weddings that go awry well before the bride walks down the aisle (Bride Wars, The Hangover, Bridesmaids). But there’s nothing like watching a meticulously choreographed wedding and reception unravel and disintegrate into a shambles. (For one thing, anyone who remembers the glitches in his or her own wedding can take comfort in knowing how much worse things could have gone.) Here are ten stumbles down the aisle that, to the delight of movie audiences, went hilariously awry.