"Rachel Getting Married": Best DVDs of February 2009

What it is: Rachel Getting Married is a heartfelt, intimate drama about personal crises, tragedy, and family. When Kym (Anne Hathaway - Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominee, Best Actress), returns home from an umpteenth trip to rehab for the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), she becomes the catalyst for long-simmering tensions in the family dynamic. The wedding couple’s group of friends and relatives have gathered for a joyful weekend, but Kym puts the past on display and the wedding celebration takes a turn. Writer Jenny Lumet and director Jonathon Demme manage to paint a painful, and sometimes funny, but very believable family portrait about the pain and joy of being human. With rich characters and solid performances from the entire cast, this is a a wedding movie like no other.

Why It's Significant: If there ever was a movie to put an actor in "The Actor" category, this is it. Anne Hathaway is vulnerable, funny, real, and her performance makes this movie. You want to hate her flawed character, but you just can't thanks to Jenny's excellent writing and Anne's spot-on performance. Anne's been nominated (and won) for several awards, and critics have been praising her - but it is warranted. Yes, the princess is all grown up. I also enjoyed the way in which the film is shot, which is almost like a home video  - but in a good way that really makes it feel like you are a guest as well at this painful, strange, yet oddly cool wedding weekend.

And okay, I know I shouldn't bring up Anne's personal life, but I just can't resist: Her now ex-boyfriend gets sent to prison for fraud, and she gets nominated for an Oscar? Talk about a girl's best revenge. Karma rocks. Go Anne. - Lisanne