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Jonathan Demme channels the style of the late Robert Altman and crafts one of the best films of his career. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS director has also crafted one of the premiere films of 2008. This bittersweet tale, written by Jenny Lumet (daughter of famed director Sidney Lumet) creates one of the most honest and rich wedding films ever. Those blessed events are ripe for filmmakers to use as a means of bringing families together and exploring conflicts. This film understands family dynamics with an acute attention to personality clashes and how those affect all the people around them.

Kym (Anne Hathaway, GET SMART) is leaving rehab to attend her sister’s wedding. Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt, TV’s MAD MEN) has a loving, but combative relationship with her troubled sister. Kym has issues with everyone judging her, especially when it comes to the doting of her father Paul (Bill Irwin, POPEYE). He is divorced from their mother Abby (Debra Winger, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN), who resigned herself to take a hands-off role in the wedding, allowing Paul and his new wife Carol (Anna Deavere Smith, PHILADELPHIA) to do much of the work. Many of Rachel’s family are meeting her fiancée Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe, member of the band TV on the Radio) for the first time. Paul trusts Kym so little that he makes her ride a bike to her AA meeting where she meets Kieran (Mather Zickel, TV’s RENO 911!), whom happens to be Sidney’s best man.

There are dramatic elements and dark secrets that lie in the story, but they’re never played for theatrics. These elements always go back to defining the character’s personalities. Demme’s fly-on-the-wall directing style helps create the sense that we’re peering into these people’s lives. The technique has been used ad nausea by so many filmmakers, but few have the right material for the style and know how to use it. Demme, on the other hand, like Altman, fills the corners with richly observed characters. Watch how the guests define the personalities and the lives of the main characters. We understand so much about them that never has to be said outright. Look at how Demme and Lumet handle minor characters like the peacemaker Carol or Rachel’s resentful best friend Emma (Anisa George). They’re individuals, not plot devices or a collection of clichés.

Each player in the ensemble is cast perfectly. Hathaway has put aside her princess roles and proven the depth of her acting skills. While she is still a beauty, she has the ease to slip into this darkly smart, but dysfunctional, character. DeWitt balances Rachel as a woman excited about her wedding who subtly holds her breath fearing that her sister will find a way to make her day about herself. I have been a fan of Irwin for years. Even in tiny roles he has impressed me. I’ve seen him on the stage in big dramatic role in WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFF?, but on screen, he has never had the opportunity to shine in the big role. As the sensitive, overprotective, and sometimes overbearing father of Kym and Rachel, he has that moment to shine. Hathaway is getting most of the Oscar buzz for the film, but Academy members should watch Irwin for his truly original work. Also getting Oscar talk is Debra Winger, whom reminds us what kind of an impression a remarkable actress can leave even in a small well-written role. All four of them deserve to be on the Oscar short list.

But I haven’t even talked about the thrill of this film yet. This music-filled, Indian-themed, multicultural wedding is joyous. While the characters have problems, they celebrate life. The film could inspire women to make saris a trendy wedding attire and men might enjoy having bikini-clad festival dancers at the wedding, as well as the bachelor party. While nothing gets resolved with neat little bows, moves are made toward future happiness. The wedding is a celebration of a new life for Rachel, and Kym must allow that to happen for herself as well.