Have you heard of ‘necrogamy’? While it sounds like something out of the most lurid lyrics of Cannibal Corpse, it actually refers to posthumous marriage; a union in which one spouse is deceased. It’s not legal here, but provides the odd backdrop to And Mrs. A romantic comedy in the Byronic sense – think Richard Curtis with a Cure album – And Mrs sees the ever-watchable Aisling Bea as a reluctant bride who decides to prove her love to fiance Colin Hanks by marrying him, despite the minor impediment of his death. A knockout cast easily traverses an uneven story and there’s a post-Covid sense of real loss that makes it easy to see past its madder excesses to the genuine heart beneath.

Gemma (Bea) is grief-stricken after her returning from a yoga class to find Nathan (Hanks) dead in their bed. She resolves to proceed with their planed nuptials, to the horror of her parents (Sinéad Cusack and Peter Egan) and best friend Ruth (Susan Wokoma). She finds support for her plan in Audrey (Billie Lourd), Nathan’s sister and general force of nature. Before they can go ahead with the wedding, they must convince the law of the land, in the shape of stentorian Chief Justice Harriet Walter.

And Mrs is a thoroughly messy film. For every strong gag and moment of empathy that really resonates, there’s a baffling choice, or a moment that takes things a little too far, with Audrey and Gemma’s insane infiltration of a conference on sex work to make their case to the Chief Justice being the prime culprit. Still, the barreling tonal shifts hit some sense of truth about grief, with all of its wild swings. The script also hits a nice balance between concern for Gemma’s wellbeing and her desire to see her plans through.

What is surprising with Bea’s role here is how straight it’s played. Despite Gemma putting the odd plot in motion, she’s a solid fulcrum around which all the rest of the craziness revolves. She’s a grounding presence which the concept probably needs, but the comedic elements feel weighted far more towards Lourd’s Audrey, who’s such an extreme character it undercuts the relatively sober figure of Gemma. You need only look to Bea’s own creation This Way Up to see the actress operating as a much more equitable comedic foil to the great Sharon Horgan. Bea’s performance doesn’t suffer in this respect, it just feels a missed opportunity not to fully utilise her talents.

While the storytelling feels a little bit calculated at times – not just aiming to get you in the feels, but right in the feels’ low-swinging bollocks – the emotions behind it are extremely earnest and clearly come from a place of raw catharsis. It’s difficult not to be moved by the closing credits which list the lost loved ones of cast and crew. Which film fan won’t have a lump in the throat to see Billie Lourd’s mother Carrie Fisher appear? Of course, having its heart in the right place counts for nothing if the rest of the film resembles a botched game of Operation, but And Mrs has more than enough talent behind it – and a tangy hint of weirdness – to see it through.

Available on Digital Download from Mon 2 Sep 2024