Second-Hand Wedding

An intimate, endearing look at the relationships within and around a middle New Zealand family.

Second-Hand Wedding, New Zealand, 2008

Garage Sale Productions
Director: Paul Murphy
Executive Producer: Kerry Robins
Producers: Nigel Stanford, Paul Murphy
Associate Producer: Linda Niccol
Editor: Mike Horton
Script Supervisor: Pat Robins
Director of Photography: Richard Bluck
Production Designer: Brad Mill
Costume Supervisor: Chris Pickard

With: Geraldine Brophy (Jill Rose), Patrick Wilson (Brian Rose), Holly Shanahan (Cheryl Rose), Ryan O'Kane (Stew Davis), Tina Regtien (Muffy), Ray Henwood (Desmond Daney), Charlie Bleakley (Martin), Mark Kilsby (Peter), Kate Harcourt (Margie), Jason Whyte (Steve), Nick Blake (Sign Stealer), Sophie Hambleton (Jane), Jed Brophy (Waz), Grant Roa (Charlie)

35mm, 98 minutes, PG-adult themes

An intimate, endearing look at the relationships within and around a middle New Zealand family.

Life is good for the Rose family. They live on the idyllic Kapiti Coast where the sunsets are spectacular, parking is still free and second-hand bargains abound. Jill and Brian Rose are happily married, their daughter, primary school teacher; Cheryl will shortly follow in their footsteps when long time boyfriend, mechanic, Stew proposes. Clouds gather however, when it becomes apparent that Cheryl has issues with her mother’s voracious bargain hunting, which she fears will ruin her wedding. So much so, that Cheryl won’t tell her mother or wear her engagement ring, much to Stew’s disappointment. It’s a small town so it doesn’t take long for Jill to find out – via envious co-worker Gracie. This causes a serious rift between mother and daughter, in fact between the whole family, as Jill feels her trust has been betrayed, throwing into doubt her whole reason for living and putting her bargain hunting abilities on the back burner. Unable to comfort her best friend, Jill’s best friend, Muffy is at a loss. Garage owner Waz's exuberant wife Sugarpuff steps in and helps Cheryl and Stew organise their wedding. Meanwhile, Model-T fanatic Brian Rose becomes ill and in very dramatic circumstances manages to save his own life. His near death experience brings the family back together. But the wedding reception is in jeopardy due to a major misunderstanding. Will Cheryl and Stew get to live happily ever after?

“Much has already been made of the family connections behind this low-budget local flick. Screenwriter Nick Ward was inspired by his Mum's second-hand shopping tendencies and his Dad's vintage car habit. First-time feature director Paul Murphy is the son of Geoff Murphy, maker of the legendary Goodbye Pork Pie, Utu and The Quiet Earth ... and most recently the less-than-legendary backpacker sitcom Welcome to Paradise – a show which also featured Second-Hand Wedding's O'Kane and Shanahan who bring whatever chemistry they developed there to this as its bride-and-groom-to-be. They aren't the only familiar faces – even one of the film's two vehicular stars induces some deja vu. And, it's not exactly stretching the boundaries of on-screen family conflict with its tale of a mum whose bargain-hunting garage sale passion makes her daughter Cheryl worry her wedding will be another one of the cheap knock-offs she has suffered all through her life. So it's a cosy affair all round really. But that unabashed homeliness somehow becomes Second-Hand Wedding's chief virtue. Like they said in Aussie movie cousin The Castle, it's the vibe of the thing. And while there are plenty of quibbles about how it constructs its plot – best summed up as "mother-daughter-falling-out-puts-wedding-in-peril-while-blokes-stand-around-perplexed" – it really does get there in the end. True, it's got one dream sequence and a couple of cartoonish supporting characters too many. But SHW delivers its own oddball celebration of middle New Zealand foibles, shot through with an infectious enthusiasm for other people's junk. As a wedding movie, it delivers most of the essentials – a sweet proposal scene, some insurmountable odds to overcome and a big cheesy toe-tapping finale. It's not as sharp-witted nor dysfunctional as last year's Eagle Vs Shark set just down the road from this on Wellington's Kapiti Coast, neither is it quite the suburban heartland answer to Sione's Wedding. But as a cosy mumsy nuptials flick it still hits the spot with its affectionately drawn main characters. Second-Hand Wedding might have been made on the cheap but it's just a like a bought one. Oh and it's sure to get a warm reception.” — Russell Baillie, NZ Herald, 17/5/2008,

Screenings: Second-Hand Wedding screened on Saturday 4 October 2008 in association with Script-to-Screen and was followed by a panel discussion.