Synopsis
Sam Davis convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker. However, it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with his ex, Zoe, who is now the filmmaker’s fiancée, and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam’s plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.
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Cast
- Uma ThurmanZoe
- Michael AngaranoSam Davis
- Lee PaceWhit Coutell
- Rebecca MaderEsme Ball
- Jake JohnsonTeddy
- Reece ThompsonMarshall Schmidt
- Brooke BloomMargaret Cornish
- Harper DillCarol Archer
- Nathalie LoveBlonde Maid
- Charlie MossNico Spicer
Recommendations
- 70
Boxoffice Magazine
If you're a fan of upper-crust New England intellectuals or one of them yourself, Ceremony is probably your perfect movie. - 60
Los Angeles Times
If the scenario is unconvincing, debuting writer-director Max Winkler has a feel for the dynamics of this kind of ritualized yet informal social gathering, and his affection for his characters is clear. - 50
The New York Times
In its mixture of the quirky and the downbeat, Ceremony aspires to be a hybrid of Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding" and Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" but falls far short. - 42
The A.V. Club
Trouble is, it feels like a film going through the motions, never finding mooring in believable human feelings. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
Sporadically funny though less effective at selling its melancholy undercurrents. - 40
Variety
Despite a few grace notes and mildly clever twists, this handsomely produced indie is such a grating turnoff throughout its first third that its minor virtues may be discovered only by insomniac latenight cable viewers. - 40
Village Voice
Ceremony is a callow movie: Winkler exhibits no comprehension of the class anxieties he addresses, and extends precocity into adulthood. That callowness is Ceremony's subject scarcely makes it funnier. - 40
Time Out
Ceremony passes by quickly and painlessly, its annoyances easily forgotten. On the plus side, Thurman and Angarano do work up a sweet odd-pair chemistry.
