Continuity mistake: When Charles finally walks through the vestry door to 'face the enemy' his hair changes from rather messy to nicely combed, then to messy again when he walks through the church. (01:40:55)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Plot summary
Directed by: Mike Newell
Starring: Andie MacDowell, Hugh Grant, James Fleet, John Hannah, Rowan Atkinson, Simon Callow
A group of friends, including Charles, Fiona, and Gareth, meet at a series of weddings in Britain. At one such wedding, Charles has a one-night stand with a glamorous American, Carrie, who vanishes back to the U.S. a few months later, Charles and Carrie meet and pass in the night again. By the time Charles realises he is in love with Carrie, she is engaged to Hamish, and that wedding goes ahead - but Gareth, one of Charles' close friends, has a heart attack and dies, so the next reunion is at a funeral.
After a while, Carrie and Hamish split up, Carrie having realised she is in love with Charles - but by this time, alas, Charles is on the point of marrying someone else. As Charles remarks, "Our timing has not been great." But at the altar, someone speaks up - in sign language.
More mistakes in Four Weddings and a Funeral
Fiona: Where's Gareth?
Matthew: Torturing Americans.
Fiona: How thoughtful of him.
Trivia: If you think the church where Charles nearly marries Henrietta looks familiar, that's because it's the same church where the Sheriff of Nottingham attempted to force Maid Marion to marry her in Robin Hood;Prince of Thieves-St Bartholomew the Great in London.
Question: Why wouldn't Charles' brother be his best man? Or is that not traditional in England the way it is in America? It's not mandatory but is certainly expected, unless the brothers are not close (which Charles and his brother are) or the groom's father serves as best man.
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Answer: A groom can choose whoever he wants as best man. As you say yourself, it's by no means mandatory for it to be the groom's brother, even if they are close. In this particular case, it's possible that David felt that he ought not to be the best man, due to the difficulty that he'd have in making a speech, but, really, Charles was under no obligation to choose him.
Tailkinker