Donna (Annabella Sciorra) and Michael (Ron Eldard) are engaged and preparing for their wedding. Amidst the anxiety of planning a wedding - dresses and tuxes, reception, rings - comes anxiety about the reality of committing to a life together. Are they truly in love, or are doubts about married life symptomatic of larger, hidden issues?

This comedy provides a humorous and truthful account of the mundane questions sitting behind long-term commitment from a uniquely feminine point-of-view, whilst digging keenly into the milieu of late 20th-century American life: dingy bars, grimy pizzerias, overbearing in-laws.

Nancy Savoca’s debut feature won the 1989 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and helped kick off the American Independent wave of the ‘90s. Her run of films from that point on (including Dogfight in 1991, which showed a young River Phoenix at the top of his game) showcases a witty, empathetic filmmaker at the top of her game. That her career has since slowed down and become less visible is testament to the gendered imbalance at the heart of the film industry.

Her films are now coming back into view via a programme of restorations, and where better to start than her charming and brutally honest first feature.

A 2K restoration by Kino Lorber from the 35mm Original Interpositive.

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