I had the unfortunate distinction of first seeing director Mike Newell’s Four Weddings and a Funeral on the big screen with a fellow heterosexual upon its release. I say “unfortunate” not because of the quality of the movie itself, but because of the missed opportunity we each felt in seeing it together — after we walked out of its afternoon screening we turned to one another and jointly concluded, “Damn, that movie is made to get you laid!” (Empirical research in the form of subsequent screenings has confirmed this.)

Rolling Stones-versus-Beatles argument), but Four Weddings and a Funeral stands rightly alongside fellow nominee The Shawshank Redemption as an under-heralded star of the evening, and a movie that certainly holds up every bit as much today as it did upon release more than a decade ago.

The film stars the aforementioned Grant as Charles, an inveterate bachelor but serial monogamist who is forever nervously swinging from one relationship to the next. The vast ensemble of his extended familial support group includes Simon Callow, John Hannah and Kristin Scott Thomas, the latter of whom stars as the fidgety Fiona, who harbors a secret crush on Charles. That the movie spun off each of these actors into larger profile work (Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors and The English Patient, respectively) is a testament to their talent, but also to the witty, pitch-perfect script and superb direction here.

To put it another, even blunter way, Four Weddings and a Funeral is such a wonderfully funny movie that even Andie MacDowell — the sole American interloper in the production, as Charles’ crush Carrie — can’t ruin it. Grant’s eye-batting may have reached a point of critical mass in other, subsequent films (Nine Months, anyone?) but here he’s perfectly in his element.

The deluxe edition of Four Weddings and a Funeral comes housed in a single-disc Amaray case with a partially see-through, plasticine slipcover. The film comes to DVD in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that is clear and consistent, with no discoloration or edge enhancement. The movie’s color palette naturally bends generously toward pastels, creams and other lighter shades, all of which are richly and properly contrasted with a few scenes featuring dark, cherry oak church interiors. Anchored by an English language Dolby digital 5.1 track, Four Weddings and a Funeral‘s dialogue is crisp and clear. That the written word is of paramount importance here is undeniable, but the movie also does a good job of smoothly blending in appropriate background elements, such as the low-key splish-splosh of rain at film’s end and the banter of various party guests. A French language Dolby digital 5.1 track and a Spanish language Dolby digital surround sound track are also available, alongside optional subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

DVD extras include a collegial and sometimes quite droll audio commentary track with Newell, Curtis and the film’s producers, in which they offer forth stories of warm reminiscence. Among the information they reveal is that American co-financiers of the picture, in advance of its production, didn’t think they had a title to which audiences would be receptive enough; ergo, producers were put through the surely enviable task of coming up with alternate monikers, some of which have a pleasant if equally roundabout cadence to them (A Tale of Rings and Other Things), some of which are just god-awful (Tailcoats and Confetti, Girls in Big White Dresses) and some of which are simply perplexing (Toffs on Heat). Alongside this commentary track, there is also a collection of a handful of deleted scenes, a brief making-of featurette consisting entirely of period-piece EPK material and a newer character-based featurette clip-fest — all things that are worth a one-time dip, but hardly necessitate repeat interactions. Bottom line: If you’ve screwed up and are looking to make it up on the cheap with a cooked-in dinner and movie night, there’s hardly a better bet than Four Weddings and a Funeral. Trust me. To purchase the DVD via Amazon, click here. A (Movie) B+ (Disc)