1994 in Film: Muriel and the arrival of Toni Collette

Australia is famous for many reasons. Our sun-kissed beaches are the envy of the world. We love Vegemite on toast, which continues to baffle most of you. You’ll find 21 of the 25 deadliest snakes in the world lurking somewhere in the Aussie bush. The Opera House, Uluru, and the Great Barrier Reef attract thousands of tourists from around the globe (well, they did when international travel was still a thing). And we are known as a breeding ground for some of the greatest actors currently working today.

Whether it’s our world-class acting training facilities, our vibrant theatre and screen industries, or just something in the water, we consistently display a knack for producing the superstars of tomorrow. Australian actors are renowned for cutting their teeth locally before leaving our shores to dominate Hollywood. That’s precisely what occurred back in 1994 when the little Aussie comedy Muriel’s Wedding announced the arrival of one Toni Collette.

Over two decades later, Collette is widely considered one of the best actors in the business, particularly by her passionate Film Twitter fans, who are still mourning that shameful Oscar snub for her sublime work in 2018’s Hereditary. But way back in the early 90s, Collette was an unknown actor who was about to take on the role that would change her life. In the process, she gave birth to an iconic cinematic female heroine who is more relevant today than ever.

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Young writer/director P.J. Hogan grew up in the town of Coolangatta, a kitschy tourist town on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, which sat on the outskirts of the more glamourous area known as the Gold Coast. Much like every child of the 1970s, he loved ABBA, whose campy music proved to be an escape from schoolyard bullying and a difficult relationship with his brutish father.

But the real target of his father’s ire was his older sister, who was so desperate to make her father happy, she took a job with his mistress selling door-to-door cosmetics. Three months later, she stole a wad of cash from Dad’s wallet and fled to Sydney where she changed her name so no one could locate her. Sounds familiar, right? With his sister’s permission, Hogan drew on his own life and planted his rebellious sibling at the heart of his first feature film screenplay.

Working with his wife and the film’s eventual producer Jocelyn Moorehouse, Hogan spent more than five years relentlessly attempting to find someone to finance Muriel’s Wedding. Given Hogan was still yet to write or direct a feature film, he found resistance from an industry unwilling to take a chance on a first-time filmmaker. But after Moorehouse’s 1991 critically-acclaimed film Proof swept the AFI Awards (Australia’s version of the Oscars), her name proved to be the key with ensnaring financing for Muriel’s Wedding from CiBy 2000, a now-defunct French film studio who took a chance on the project and financed the film to the tune of $9 million.

A romantic comedy with a dash of familial drama, Muriel’s Wedding would tell the story of Muriel Heslop (Collette), a socially-awkward 20-something desperate to fit in with her group of superficial female “friends.” The constant target of bullying from her supposed gal pals, Muriel often escapes to her bedroom to listen to ABBA songs and dream of her future wedding and husband who would whisk her away from her oppressive father, Bill (Bill Hunter) and, more importantly, the podunk town of Porpoise Spit.

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After Muriel’s friends cruelly refuse to allow her to accompany them on a vacation to Hibiscus Island, Muriel uses a blank cheque provided by her naive mother, Betty (the heartbreaking Jeanie Drynan) to withdraw $12,000 from her father’s account and take off to the island regardless. It’s here Muriel bumps into an old school acquaintance Rhonda Epinstall (Rachel Griffiths), who proves to be the true supportive friend Muriel has been sorely lacking.

Upon her return to Porpoise Spit, Muriel is confronted by Betty, who desperately wants to believe there was merely an accounting error and her daughter didn’t knowingly steal from the family. Quicker than you can mamma mia, Muriel flees to Sydney where she rents an apartment with Rhonda and changes her name to Mariel. But her daydreams of a glamourous wedding still persist and it will eventually appear in the unlikeliest of forms.

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Collette auditioned on the first day of casting, and while Hogan saw dozens of actors for the role, he knew he’d found the right woman for the job on day one. As they say, the rest is history. After gaining 18kgs (that’s 40 lb for our American readers) in just seven weeks, Collette transformed into Muriel and dug deep to find the pathos in a fairly objectionable character. You are rooting for Muriel right from the opening scene and your empathy for her never once falters, even as she performs some highly questionable acts.

It’s a testament to the infectious likeability of Collette to deliver such an endearing performance with a character that could easily have been detestable in the hands of a lesser actor. Muriel’s Wedding is ultimately the story of one woman’s path to empowerment and self-love, which would have easily fallen apart if the audience failed to genuinely care for its lead character. The casting of Collette was intrinsically linked to the film’s eventual success and she deftly proved she was more than capable of leading a film with true force.

Much like its fellow 1994 Australian film counterpart The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel’s Wedding was an unexpected box office smash, both in Australia and around the globe. Collette nabbed her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical, Hogan scored Best Original Screenplay nominations with both BAFTA and the WGA (hang your heads in shame, Academy). And the film swept the AFI Awards, winning Best Film, Best Sound, and Best Actress and Supporting Actress for Collette and Griffiths, respectively.

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While it’s inherently an Australian film, Muriel’s Wedding struck a chord with audiences around the world. By speaking to anyone who’s ever felt like the outsider, especially those of us who have bent over backwards in a foolhardy attempt to fit in. When Muriel finally realises it’s far better to stand out than it is to be a faceless member of a crowd, it’s the precise moment she discovers her inner strength to leave behind everything that was tying her down. The film is a universal tale of finding self-acceptance by being precisely who you are and a charming portrait of the power of the true friend who helps you realise that very fact.

In the end, it’s not a dashing white knight who rescues the fair maiden Muriel. With the unwavering support of Rhonda, Muriel rescues herself and finally takes charge of her own destiny that no longer includes a fictional fantasy life that was never going to make her happy. To find a decidedly feminist streak in early 90s cinema was a genuine rarity, especially seeing it take form in such an unlikely protagonist who stole your heart and ran away with it. But the greatest gift Muriel’s Wedding gave the world was our introduction to the marvelous talent of Collette, who, much like Muriel, hasn’t looked back since.