Sam (Michael Angarano) is going to take his friend Marshall (Reece Thompson) on an adventure. It starts with Sam referring to liking a book in his "younger and more vulnerable years." Sam used to think it was written about him; Marshall thinks it is written about him. And if you already know which book they are referring to, the characteristics of Sam and Marshall, and the adventure they are about to go on, instantly fall into place.

Marshall doesn't yet know, but Sam is chasing after a girl. You probably already knew that because after all, that's what Gatsby was doing too. And because "Ceremony" is a romantic comedy. The girl is Zoe (Uma Thurman) and she's about to marry Whit because he's rich and handsome. Sam, although just as immature, is likely a bit more well-read than Gatsby, and he makes some hilarious and shrewd remarks about Whit and Zoe, their relationship, and about the relationship he would like to have with Zoe.

"Ceremony" is not actually like "The Great Gatsby", but the simple parallels that you can make amongst all the characters, illustrates how anyone would be able to find something to connect to in Fitzgerald's classic. And then afterwards, you will be able to find an extra layer of meaning in "Ceremony".

This is a romantic comedy, or coming-of-age journey, that is delightfully funny, whimsically quirky, but with a real sense of character. It is written and directed by Max Winkler, son of the Fonz, and he shows a natural ability coupled with a strong sense of humour and intellect. What makes me confident that he will become a great writer is when his characters discuss the art of writing characters all the while being completely oblivious to their own flaws.

Michael Angarano shows that he is becoming the star that he deserves to be (if this finds an audience) with his quick delivery of witty lines and his ability to sport a moustache and a burnt-orange suit throughout the entire movie without ever making a single joke feel tired. The younger Reese Thompson (playing the year-and-a-half older Marshall) seemed a bit out of his league, but then again he's playing a character who is a bit out of his league.

Although it takes place during a weekend wedding with a guy trying to win over a girl, it doesn't follow any standard romantic comedy trajectories. Marhsall observes those around him as he slowly matures, and Sam gets pretty much exactly what he deserves for his current level of maturity and understanding of human nature. "Ceremony" gives us that green light at the end of the dock to believe in, the orgastic future of filmmaking.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!! I have a guilty secret. When I start to watch a movie that I've taped on my DVR I usually come to IMDb and read some of the reviews just to get a sense of where it's going before I give up my time. I know, terrible, but there you have it.

So I read some of the reviews here and though uh-oh, I might as well work while I watch this one, which I did but not very successfully. As in I didn't get much work done because I was completely entertained by this movie. I know we've seen all kinds of wedding movies with similar plots. But if you really think about it there are only 5-6 plots in movies anyway (if you take out the specific details). So I'm fine with watching similar plots over and over, because there really is no choice on that anyway.

I thought the storyline was great. I read another person say that the characters were all unlikable, but I disagree. I thought that it was a story about a very immature 23 year old who had a fling with an older woman and is handling it like a 23 year old. His insecurities made him act a certain way, but I had empathy for the pain he was really feeling and and the sincerity in his feels of love towards this woman. He was the kind of person who has the gift of gab and which led him to throw phony compliments to his friend while he manipulates and uses him. But that didn't take away from what I saw as real caring for his friend, Marshall. In fact I'm sure Marshall really appreciated the attention he got from Sam as he had his own issues which made him appear as someone who doesn't get out much.

I also appreciated the fact that this wasn't the predictable boy loves girl, boy tries to break up impending marriage and boy succeeds.

I read someone else complain that Zoe was marrying an *hole who you knew was an *hole from the start. I didn't see it that way at all. I thought the finance Whit was 'who he was', but really loved and cared for Zoe. He even allowed this 'fling' to be a pen pal of Zoes and when he shows up at the wedding there was no hissy fits, because he loves Zoe so much. Yes he was a bit self absorbed but so are many successful people.

I thought the emotions that Zoe felt for Sam were very real and appropriate for what their situation really was and her reluctance to hurt him was well written. I didn't take it that she didn't love Whit or was marrying for the wrong reasons. Her relationship with Sam was this slice of life thing for her and she was happy moving forward in her life, but for Sam it was so much more. At the end you could see that Sam (and Marshall for that matter) grew up a little bit more. Isn't that true for your one big heartbreak? It sends you to the next phase of your life, and that's what I felt for both boys at the end. New phase. Growing up, but not yet grown up. Ah, to be young and that crazy in love again!

I enjoyed the first five minutes of Ceremony, where the main character is reading from his children's book in a library, and the camera slowly pans back to reveal all empty seats, except for one adult, who applauds enthusiastically at the reading's conclusion. It was original and funny, and I thought I was in for a good movie.

I couldn't have been more wrong. The rest of the movie is plagued with one-note characters, (mostly) uninteresting dialogue, and good actor's talents wasted. All of the plot points have been done before, and better (e.g. the lovelorn sap chases down the woman he loves who is slated to marry a jerk). Uma Thurman's fiancé is so blatantly obviously a jerk as to be a caricature (in an unfunny way), and it is unbelievable that an intelligent woman would see enough in this man to marry him.

The class differences at the resort is an old, tired plot device, as was the outdoor scavenger-hunt the host's family traditionally plays, which veered into the ridiculous.

I'll give one example of a poorly thought out scene. Uma Thurman visit's the main character in his guest room to talk, since they were old flames. Up to this point it has been established that the room is very hot and stuffy. Yet she walks into the room carrying a sleeping bag, then crawls into it during their conversation. A moment later in the discussion she says "it's too hot to talk about that issue," all the while buried up to her neck in the sleeping bag under the pretence of keeping herself 'safe' from her former flame (no, there was no sexual tension at all, they were just having an uninteresting discussion about their past relationship). The movie is riddled with head-scratching moments like this, as if the writer was also the proofreader and didn't catch errors in logic (or overdone clichés).

The best friend, who has been used by the main character finally leaves, which is the only believable occurrence in the movie. Then he inexplicably comes back! The only possible explanation for this was his attraction to the female caterer; I was hoping to see some dialogue between them which would have been a welcome distraction from the boring leads but she never speaks! None of the movie's problems are the fault of the actors, I blame the script.

I watched this movie with my family after viewing the trailer. The trailer depicted the movie as being a road-trip type romantic comedy, and as a group we decided that it looked like a decent movie. Sadly, we were wrong.

Our big problem with the movie was that the main character Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) is such an a-hole that we couldn't engage emotionally with this movie. He's rude. He's a liar. He manipulates people. While he has the emotional intelligence of a 5 year old, its hard to imagine this guy writes children books, as he has no innocence and no heart.

I find it very hard to enjoy a movie where the main character is such an a-hole that you would like to shoot him yourself, and you are hoping throughout the duration of the movie that he does NOT get the girl. There was nothing "feel good" about this movie.

CEREMONY – CATCH IT ( B- ) Ceremony is a quirky little movie about young guy crashing the wedding of the woman he loves. The movie is smart, funny and full of good performances by the lead stars. Michael Angarano & Reece Thompson's bromance sold this out for me. Their scenes have very dark humor to it. Michael Angarano hopelessly in love is something to see, he brings the madness to the movie. Uma Thurman after Kill Bill did something decent enough otherwise it's been long time she has appeared in something not mediocre. Lee Pace is weird and out of his box. The movie is quirky & funny but lacks big time in screenplay. The whole time story just stays from where it started. To be honest nothing change till the very last moment, and even in last moment you've to imagine that that's how it will end. Sometimes, I wanted to see big jumps or shocking twists in the screenplay, but it never happened so the whole time it stays on the same note from where it all started. Anyways, I won't say it was boring but I think it has the potential to be lot funnier. Overall, watch for its performances and overall vibe, it's enjoyable.

One of the easiest to watch movies of recent memories. The movie has a slow start establishing Sam's character as an absolute jerk and his friend Marchall's character as a whiny hypochondriac. However, things pick up nicely when Uma Thurman (Zoe) comes on scene. Nothing like a major star like her to pick things up.

The setting is a gorgeous beach house on the ocean, with all the beautiful people partying for a weekend wedding - who doesn't love a wedding! Sam's character unfolds delightfully as his deeply romantic self comes to the fore. And Marshall proves to be a hero!

The boys learn about life and love and the pursuit of happiness through pain and suffering. The movie, thankfully, doesn't take the easy way out by tying things up with a bow, but leaves you with the sweetness of the mystery of life.

This is such a beautiful film. Not only visually, but also story-telling wise. Michael Angarano is fascinating & impressive. I don't think I could write enough praise for his work in this film. He wins you over and does so in such a skilled way. He makes you laugh and cry all while you secretly root for him. All of the actors were cast perfectly and work very well together. Uma is natural and stunning. It has a bit of a Wes Anderson look to the film which feels a little vintage and keeps your eyes satisfied throughout. I look forward to more Max Winkler films in the future. He is a rare kind of talented story teller that we need more of.

I saw this movie at the TIFF premier. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when all was done, I was impressed with how funny and witty it was. The character of Sam was all around, the best (in every sense of the word). The movie was a good balance of comedy and romance. It was nice to have the majority of the movie take place outside a major city. The cast worked very well together in this film. I laughed a lot, and when some of the more serious scenes came up, it got me thinking about how relationships are formed and the duration of relationships today. I think when a movie can get you thinking about real-life, it is successful. Two thumbs up to Max Winkler for selecting the actors he did, it was a great combination of talent!!

Watchable romantic comedy stars the diminutive Angarano as Sam, the man with the plan to whisk his true love (Thurman) away from her fiancé (Pace), moments away from the altar. Unfortunately for Sam, Thurman's character has outgrown their once-brief tryst and sees stability and maturity in her imminent marriage, even if Pace is somewhat egotistical and high on self importance.

Not a lot happening here, with minor chuckles and melancholy moments the general tone, Thurman's towering height and obvious age, both dwarfing Angarano, who's seemingly behind the eight ball all the way. Thompson as his best friend begins to suspect a ruse when they're "inadvertantly" invited to the wedding, and the once strong friendship that has cooled over the years, serves as the film's dramatic baseline, not quite a bro-mance, but equally, something short of true romance. He also has a funny scene in which he naively pops a party pill with some amusing consequences.

Director Winkler never really seems to find the right tenor, lost amid light humour (predominantly from Johnson as Thurman's drug-addled brother) and pathos with little content to develop and only the natural appeal of Angarano and Thurman off which to pivot. Mature, low-key and likable but there's not a lot achieved (in my opinion the R-rating also seems excessive).

I'll keep this short. Just out the gate, I think there's two types of people who will like this: a) those with a eye for hipster-esque romantic indies with above-average dialogue and sweet scenes that breathe and b) those who have a affinity for one of the main cast (Thurman, Pace, Angarano). Luckily, I fit both those categories - and truly, I loved it.

It isn't ha-ha funny, or an epic romance, but it plays true to life. The scenes are well put together, the acting is on-spot (which is a true achievement, considering what some may consider oddities in casting choice) and moments are over/underplayed to the right extent (again, very important). The setting is beautiful, the music gives character and the secondary actors only add to the overall narrative.

I don't think there's a broad message for anyone here. It's what you make of it, based on the person you are.

Overall, if you can handle a breezy, quaint 90 minutes that maybe make you question your own romantic entanglements and first-world issues, give this a go. If you'd rather have a solid beginning/middle/end sort of rom-com, look elsewhere. :)

I was fortunate to view a screening of this film last night and I have to say, it was great! This is a coming of age comedy so well balanced it will have you smiling, giggling and laughing throughout. Uma is excellent (as always) and with her Idiosyncrasies, she fits the character of Zoe wonderfully. Michael Angarano is great for these roles and along with Reece Thompson, they were refreshingly original compared to cliché duel characters you see in most comedies. I felt they were more realistic and it made the film that much funnier. From the beginning of the story, with the introduction of Sam and Marshall you will laugh and grow to like them right away! The characters, Whit and Zoe's brother Teddy, are hilarious and you cant help , but to shake your head with giggles when they speak. Max Winkler did a fantastic job in writing and directing this lovable comedy. It is well paced, well cast, sweet and original. I don't want to spoil you with movie details, just don't miss out viewing it. Easily one of this years best comedies.

I honestly did not enjoy this film. I found it slow, boring and utterly hard to follow. It is listed as a comedy, I didn't laugh once. This film tried hard to be an "arty" type film but came off disjointed, bawdy, sleep inducing and even utterly unrelated in parts. The characters were hard to get into, they didn't "gel" with each other. The scenes do not flow and jump around quite a bit and don't relate to each other. The characters were not believable and did not draw you in. They don't mesh with each other or fully give you a full picture of the relationship between characters. The whole way through this film you are guessing at the plot, at why a scene is playing out the way it is, and what is really going on. It is very obscure, not made any easier with the whole different storyline going on with Uma's character's brother. That confuses the whole plot even more. I struggled on with this film purely because I thought it would get better, and particularly I will admit because Uma was listed in it and I had enjoyed her acting in the past.Save yourself the bother and don't bother pressing play. Sorry Uma but you have acted in far better then this!

CEREMONY is one of the brighter starts to rise out of Hollywood this year. Though it was made in 2010 and released on Demand TV before its ultimate release on theaters, it is hopefully going to gather the audience it so richly deserves. It is a young work: the writer/director is Max Winkler, son of Henry Winkler, a bright young talent who essentially makes his debut with little sparkler. Not only has he come up with a fresh idea for a story but he has also matched that story with a script that is at all times warmly entertaining and at many points a sensitive, philosophical examination of relationships today. And he has cast the film with some of the finest young actors on screen at present.

Sam Davis (Michael Angarano, a brilliant young actor in his early 20s, so memorable in the deeply touching 'One Last Thing') writes children's books and lives in the child like fantasies of kids. He has a friend Marshall Schmidt (Reece Thompson, another early 20s bright young talent) who happens to show up as the only member of an audience to hear Sam read his latest new children's book. The two boys rekindle their friendship, stagnant for the past year while Marshall recovered from an altercation and hid in his parents home while Sam had a momentary encounter with a beautiful 30s something woman Zoe (Uma Thurman). The two lads decide to take a little trip to ostensibly to get Marshall out of his parent's home to see the world, but in actuality Sam has heard that Zoe is marrying some wealthy guy, Whit Coutell (Lee Pace, another brilliant actor remembered for his shattering performance in 'Soldier's Girl'), at Whit's lavish seaside home.

Sam and Marshall mend long absent feelings of closeness and taking some daring steps they drive to the seaside estate, obtain an invitation to Zoe's party (her wedding to Whit Actually) from Zoe's drunken brother Teddy (Jake M. Johnson). Sam confronts Zoe, stating his love and his desire to marry her, but Zoe needs more than a young kid to satisfy her and sees the opportunities of marrying the moneyed Whit. In a series of incidents both hilarious at times and deeply tender at others all characters discover new concepts of relationships. How the film ends is left for the viewer to discover.

Michael Angarano is pitch perfect as Sam, a young man whose ideals are tested and who must learn the adult role. His skills are so polished at this young stage in his career that he is bound to become a major star. Reece Thompson is not far behind, and Uma Thurman gives one of her most well rounded performances. Lee Pace makes the most of his role, sparkling as the reigning optimist of the story. But in the end most of the credit for the success of this little gem is due to the talent of Max Winkler who writes as well as he directs: he is a formidable force. Highly Recommended.

Grady Harp

Uma Thurman was the SOLE REASON for renting this film--- none of the other actors are familiar to us, except for Michael Angarano (from The Forbidden Kingdom) in his first "adult" leading role!

The leads are competent, but you still wonder if the movie would have done better at the box office had Jesse Eisenberg hadn't backed out last minute (Angarano was supposed to play "Marshall", the sidekick).

Nevertheless, this movie reminded me of "Rushmore," even though the plot is more like "The Graduate." (If you've seen both movies, then you'll understand my analogy).

Max Winkler, son of The Fonz, has done a great job as a rookie director. He's got a great future ahead....

Finally, I have to say that Jake Johnson ("Teddy") really adds a "Hangover" dimension to this film, in a good way! He is only one of many quirky supporting characters who make this a lovable film....one you're likely to purchase rather than rent!

I will say that "Ceremony" is not actually the average romantic comedy, and that was one of the brighter moments of the movie. That being said, then "Ceremony" was a rather uneventful and somewhat pointless movie.

The story was almost too simplistic and offered no laughs along the way. And this was ultimately the tripping point of the movie. It took director Max Winkler one hour and twenty-six minutes to get from A to B, and managed to almost tell nothing along the way.

It should be said that the people on the cast list were doing good jobs with their given roles, and there were some good talents performing in the movie. It was actually Lee Pace who carried the movie with his performance, despite not having a leading role.

Should you happen to like romantic comedies, then there are far better choices of this genre available out there.

A children's book author, Sam Davis, is presenting his newest work. To our surprise, only his friend Marshall has come to support Sam. The book is terrible, perhaps a bit better than the previous one whose subject was a flying koala bear. Sam has invited Marshall to come along for a week-end in Long Island. The real purpose of the outing is to crash the wedding of Zoe and Whit. Secretly, Sam has been madly in love with this woman, who also got interested in him, for just a brief period of time.

Sam and Marshall are staying in a hotel near the mansion where the celebration will be held. Sam decides to crash the party down the beach. Zoe is surprised. when she realizes what is going on. She has no excuse for not introducing the crashers to Whit, who likes the newcomers. The duo is obviously out of the league of a screen actor with a lot of money, who is civil in putting them up and expects them to attend the wedding. Zoe begins to regret her involvement with a younger man on the eve of her own wedding. Sam does not want to lose her, although for all practical purposes he has come too late to make his claim.

Written and directed by Max Winkler, "Ceremony" is an indie we saw recently on DVD format. Zoe, a thirty something gorgeous woman has had a fling with the much younger Sam. Obviously he thought their brief romance would continue, but the reality Zoe has moved on. Now she is the bride to be and Sam arrives at the last moment to stir feelings she had not felt before. Marshall, on the other hand, feels used by Sam, a man he felt was his friend, but he is finding otherwise. Zoe shows signs of being unstable as she has last minute doubts the night before the big day. Unfortunately for Sam, he has come too late to even think he can rekindle what he had with Zoe.

Michael Angarano started early in films and he is finally coming into his own. He has worked hard and deserves what he is getting. The emphasis in the film is the age difference between Sam and Zoe. Mr. Angarano looks much younger than he is against the more mature Uma Thurman who appears as Zoe. Ms. Thurman is always a welcome addition to any film she graces. Mr. Winkler gets good performances from his cast. Reece Thompson, especially, seen as Marshall, is one of the best things in the film. Lee Pace, who plays Whit, makes an impression as the movie star. Jake Johnson is on hand to keep things running smoothly as the brother of the bride and should have been seen more. Mr. Johnson livens things up each time he appears on the screen.

It irks me that this film is so seriously underrated and draws derisory comparisons to Rushmore. Most definitely one can draw the comparisons, but that does not at all take away from the originality and quirkiness of Ceremony. It's main character, "Big" Sam Davis, provokes your sympathy, for me even empathy. He's hapless and suave, as is his best friend, and their misadventure on a weekend of friendship and finding love is so poignant, well e-quipped with humour, and fantastically grand in it's reality that it becomes compulsive viewing not only for it's strong emotional journey, but also for it's delectable slice of mid-twenties adolescence at an impasse with life. Don't stand on Ceremony, go out and grab it, and watch it. And then after - grab some life too.

I am so glad I saw this little gem. First of all, this movie says so much in such a small amount of time. Sam is in love with a woman who is getting married this weekend; and he is determined to stop it. Sam writes children's books , Zoe, the woman he loves is about to marry a big time "nature documentary" film maker, Whit. Marshall is along for this ride, but thinks he is there for some quality time with his best friend, Sam. There is a bit of that uncomfortable "social class" , high brow/low brow referencing here; but it unfolds beautifully and becomes clear what the story is saying. The "uber rich" don't really care about anyone, throw people away with no real consequences, behave badly, etc. Also, the age difference between Sam and Zoe is not that much, but enough to make a difference where understanding certain things come into play. I wont spoil it, but what Zoe tells Sam, he doesn't seem to understand how that could be. Which is a great life question: if you know something about someone, that should be damaging to any relationship, how do you successfully move on together? is it more mature? or is it not really love/caring about the other person? or is it completely loving and caring about that person? These are are very deep questions that are part of everyones lives , at one point or another. This is a fantastic film about love and what we all think really loving someone is actually about. The performances are wonderful, natural, and touching and at times very funny. We find that everyone, no matter what their "class", has the same idea of what love really is, and knows better than to treat others badly. Sam gets his truth in the end and realizes he deserves to not be a "dragonfly".

What a pleasant surprise this movie was! There are too few movies of this caliber these days. I cannot understand the rating on this site. If I didn't know who made the movie I would have guessed Wes Anderson. If you like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore or Steers' "Igby goes down" you'll love it. Ceremony was enchanting, moving, humorous and bittersweet. The setting was perfect. I dare you to find even one character in this movie that isn't charming. The similarities between Max Winkler's Ceremony and Wes Andersons work are absolutely obvious, down to the small details. Watching Ceremony I was reminded of Dignan making his absurd plans, Anthony Adams falling in love, and of course, Max Fisher pursuing Miss Cross. The fact is Max Winkler "wrote a hit play" and I thank him for doing so.

I loved Uma playing Zoe but truthfully, she was too stylish for this movie part. Whit was the weird match other than physical. Sam was too short and young for Zoe, and his way of running a friendship was a disaster all the way around. I wasted my time watching this movie but let it play while doing homework or napping. I didn't learn anything out of "The Ceremony" other than the fact that relationships can be messy just because of one action or inaction. It's also about Terry who shows how fragile life is. There was no comedy in this movie and i challenge anybody find at least a funny if not laughable moment within the entire piece of work. Don't expect much of the Special Features. Other than Zoe, Marshall played a good role and he did the best out of it. I wouldn't buy this movie.

This film tells the story of a young man who convinces a friend to go to the beach for a holiday. What he truly plans is to crash his ex- girlfriend's wedding.

"Ceremony" has a strange title, because it is so descriptive and doesn't leave anything to the imagination. As for the film itself, the only is alright, but I have trouble getting the film because of the age difference between Sam and Zoe. Though I can see that the age difference is an integral part of the story, it still is not a believable romance. In addition, how Zoe gives off different and conflicting signals to Sam is quite unfair. I think it's not a particularly enjoyable romantic comedy.

The movie has quite a lot going for it. Especially story wise but also with a very strong lead performance by Uma Thurman. It is very important that you believe her, because if not all the effort would be for nothing. And while quite a lot seems ridiculous (the male friendship even though there is some shattering, but almost too late to be really plausible), it all works somehow.

It's not your standard romantic comedy, that is for sure. The male lead is an obvious indication for that. And while some strands would've been nice to be explored (the red head you might have seen in Lost and other stuff she's done could've used a bigger role), it can touch you, if you let it. The male antagonist gets a bit too cliché at the end and almost unworthy of Umas love/affection in the first place

When this movie came out Michael Angarano was 23 and Uma Thurman was 40. When the roles are reversed few eyebrows are raised, but we still think it odd when the woman is much older. In this entertaining little movie that is at its core.

Angarano is Sam Davis , a not overly successful author of children's books. In fact in the opening scene he is doing a reading, and as the camera pans back we see that only one other person is in the room, a guy friend of his. But it may have only been a rehearsal, we don't know, and it is indicative of his tenuous standing as an author.

In fact we can legitimately wonder if these two guys are in a homosexual relationship, so comfortable are they with each other. But they aren't, they are just close friends from way back, almost like brothers.

So this weekend they are on an excursion outside the city (N.Y.) and end up at a beaten down inn, just adjacent to and sharing a beach with an upscale place where, it just HAPPENS, a party is planning a big wedding.

The bride to be is Uma Thurman as Zoe and Sam has traveled there specifically to try to divert the wedding plans. It seems he and Zoe had some sort of "relationship" and he was hoping he could convince her they were best for each other. But at least one of the issues, from Zoe's point of view, is the age difference.

Plus the fact that her fiancée has a career and income, unlike Sam.

The IMDb rating is about right, overall it isn't that good a movie, much of the dialog doesn't work very well, but Thurman and Angarano are both nice to watch and that makes it worth the time for light entertainment.