Always the bridesmaid.

Confetti

* Starring Martin Freeman, Jessica Stevenson

* Conceived and directed by Debbie Isitt * Fox Searchlight

Straight people may want to hog the institution of marriage all for themselves, but there's something almost drag queen--ish about the pomp and grandeur of most weddings. That's the premise behind the new British comedy Confetti, about a bridal magazine that throws a competition among three hetero couples to see who can host the most lavish nuptials, all under the direction of two gay wedding planners (Vincent Franklin and Jason Watkins). While the cast includes many of the U.K.'s most talented comic actors, such as Martin Freeman (The Office), Jessica Stevenson (Bob and Rose), and Olivia Colman (Look Around You), this Christopher Guest-style improv comedy--"conceived" by director Debbie Isitt, as there was no script--can't decide what it wants to be. There's lots of wonderfully cruel British humor--one bride-to-be gets rhino-plasty that leaves her nose even worse than it was before--but the movie veers from bitter laughs to the soppiest sentimentality. It's this comedic whiplash that makes Confetti one to leave at the theatrical altar, but you might consider a DVD one-night stand in a few months.