FAMILY CIRCUS

I just watched Rachel Getting Married, a movie about two things that cause me no small amount of anxiety: family and weddings. Anne Hathaway, as the wayward daughter responsible for her kid brother's death and the self-appointed maid of honor, was as excellent as her Oscar nomination would suggest. And I was surprised at how many "real" people populated the cast, actors and actresses who look like they were plucked from the aisles of a Piggy Wiggly supermarket somewhere in Midwest, USA. Playing the mother of the bride and looking refreshingly and alarmingly un-nipped and un-tucked, Debra Winger inhabited the same Arctic space as Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People--but unfortunately, had only a fraction of MTM's onscreen time. She definitely had the right idea when it came to dealing with the family and the titular nuptials: Keep your distance and leave early and quietly.