Holy Matrimony (1994)

Well Deserved Praise

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Havana (Patricia Arquette) and her boyfriend Peter (Tate Donovan) rob a large amount from the safe of her chief in the fair where she works. On the next morning, they see Peter on the front page headline. They realize that there was a hidden camera and now they are wanted by the police. They flee and Peter convinces Havana to travel to the Hutterite community where he was raised. He lies to his uncle Wilhelm (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and tells that Havana is his wife. They are forced to get married in the community to live together. Peter hides the money to force Havana to stay with him. However he has a car accident and dies. In accordance with the Hutterite traditions, Havana has to leave the village or marry Peter's brother, who is the boy Ezekiel (Joseph Gordon- Levitt). Havana needs more time to find the money and accepts to get married with the boy. Meanwhile the corrupt FBI Agent Markowski (John Schuck) is seeking Peter and Havana out to take their money for him."Holy Matrimony" is a moralist but cute comedy. Watching this 1994 film in 2016, it is funny to see the boy Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The twenty-six year-old Patricia Arquette is in the top of her beauty. Another attraction is the director Leonard "Mr. Spock" in his last work as a film director. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Santo Matrimônio" ("Holy Matrimony")

Beautiful movie, friends. What starts of as a wild, greedy couple robbing money to live the good life turns out at the end as a story of lives changed from selfishness to selflessness, of pure love and simply that doing the right thing can heal any guilt you hold.Sorry if I sounded somewhat mushy but Holy Matrimony was both comical & holy(kinda!). A very interesting storyline and so many hilarious scenes. And also moments where the our lead characters Havana(essayed very well by Patricia Arquette) learns life lessons from the child Ezekiel(wonderful acting by Inception fame Joseph Gordon-Levitt).Truly, Joseph stole the show and can be regarded as the soul of the movie. And some really touching dialogues by both characters Havana and Ezekiel that leaves you impressed.Maybe there could have been more action(like more thrilling chasing scenes by the bad guys) that would have been enough to push the movie a notch higher than the cool entertainment it is. Also, I was little annoyed by the fake laughing of some cops towards the final. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise enjoyable fare.Though, I would caution children watching this as there are some nearly nude scenes of Havana.Verdict: A delightful treat. Leaves you smiling from start to end.

I have this on LaserDisc, and watch it again now and then. I enjoy the depiction of the Hutterites and their moral life, and how they come to influence Arquette.This is intended to be a strong, moral tale of the perils of evil, and how a good man can turn a bad woman around. Arquette starts out as a carnival worker obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, thinking that Monroe's cheerful public persona meant Monroe was happy. She considers how money would make her happy and doesn't think at all about what stealing is, when she helps stage a robbery.Her accomplice, Tate, steals, drinks (while, *gasp*, driving!), and uses others, pretty consistently. Quite self-centered and moderately charming.Watching the Hutterite community reluctantly admit Arquette first as Tate's wife, then as Gordon-Levitt's wife, we see a disciplined community, remaining steadfast and true to their teachings and beliefs. Arquette, on the other hand, we see first ridicule and play at adapting to the Hutterites, then later actually expressing their beliefs and values in her life.The only Hutterite we see change is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Who goes from a fainting exasperation of Arquette to a reluctant concern for her, to admiration and respect. This change occurs when Arquette stops reflecting the shallow culture she started out in, and begins to hold an appreciation for moral beliefs and respect. And, in the end, a love of family and friends.The storytelling is a bit rougher than a Disney-type family film, nor was it popular for showing Godly beliefs as being comforting and supportive. The comedy is a bit earthy, mostly about clashing customs. The Hutterites are all shown to be consistently moral, cheerful, generous, and respectful. We don't get much of their actual teachings (a reclusive Jewis sect, I believe). I especially enjoy one scene where Gordon-Levitt challenges how Arquette picks a guy (from a bar), 'Is his word golden? Is he gentle with animals and children?' The movie plot may be weaker than need be, but it is told in a *nice* way.

Betsy (Patricia Arquette) and Peter (Tate Donovan) rob a carnival and go on the run. To hide out they return to the religious commune where Peter grew up. He hides the money and then promptly dies. To remain in the commune and find the money Betsy marries Peter's younger brother Ezekiel (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), leading to "comedy", "adventure" and "love".....What could be better than a comedy set in an Amish-style community starring Patricia Arquette and directed by Spock? Well - quite a lot actually. The plot is pretty thin and all the "comedy" revolves around the mis-match of the boy and his adult wife. This gets very thin very quickly, leaving only the "thriller" plot of the dirty FBI agent hunting the money himself (John Schuck). Unfortunately the thriller element doesn't work either.Patricia Arquette is poor in the lead role playing a very unsympathetic character that flicks between two emotions - angry and repentant. Gordon-Levitt is good as Ezekiel and has some of the few funny moments in the film. However he is hampered by the poor material he has to work with. Support from Donovan and Schuck is as poor as you'd expect.It's not a terrible film but it's just all so lame. There's nothing to really make you feel strongly either way and to me that's worse than a film that's laughably bad. The whole project is pointless.