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Three decades on, one of Australia’s most cherished films still resonates in surprising ways.
In this deep dive feature, Muriel’s Wedding is celebrated for its blend of quirky Aussie comedy, Hollywood romance, and a richly layered story of self-discovery and complex family dynamics.
Read: Muriel's Wedding Revisited
The NFSA restoration
Muriel’s Wedding – culturally significant, a box-office hit and a fan favourite – was an ideal candidate for the NFSA Restores program, thanks in part to the opportunity to collaborate with the original creatives.
ABBA is the soundtrack for the highs and lows of Muriel’s Wedding. A scene from NFSA Restores: Muriel's Wedding (PJ Hogan, 1994). NFSA title: 1771411
‘You've made it'
After a standout performance at Hibiscus Island’s talent show – a joyful, defiant rendition of ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’ – Muriel and Rhonda’s friendship truly blossoms.
Muriel meets David
Muriel meets her husband to be, David Van Arkle (Daniel Lapaine), a South African-born Olympic swimmer in need of a wife – and Australian citizenship. Their introduction is both acutely awkward and terrifically funny.
'It draws the audience in and then once its hooks are in, you can't look away. You're dealing with some really painful stuff and hopefully, some really truthful stuff. And when it’s funny, it’s really funny.'PJ Hogan Writer and Director
Writer and director PJ Hogan shares his thoughts on Muriel's Wedding, looking back at three decades of its enduring impact and iconic status.
'You're terrible, Muriel'
PJ Hogan’s memorable script delivered more than just one iconic catchphrase. This delightful montage highlights some of the best lines, classic scenes and unforgettable quotes that helped elevate the film to its iconic status.
After 30 years, ‘You’re terrible, Muriel!’ has secured its place alongside Mick Dundee’s ‘That’s not a knife’ (Crocodile Dundee, 1985) and Daryl Kerrigan’s ‘Tell him he’s dreaming’ (The Castle, 1997) as a well-worn catchphrase in the Australian vernacular.
Interestingly, ‘You’re terrible, Muriel!’ was almost cut during editing when writer-director PJ Hogan felt it had lost its humour. Thankfully, editor Jill Bilcock convinced him otherwise, and the line has become so entrenched in Australian culture that Toni Collette hears it quoted to her nearly every day.
Sit back and enjoy our compilation of all your favourite film quotes from Muriel’s Wedding.
'Deirdre Chambers, what a coincidence'
Did you know?
Muriel’s sister Joanie (Gabby Millgate) delivers ‘You’re terrible, Muriel!’ three times in the film, while ‘What a coincidence!’ is said by or about Deirdre Chambers (Gennie Nevinson) six times.
'I'm not alone, I'm with Muriel'
Rhonda’s sharp rejection of one of Muriel’s former frenemies is a pivotal moment in Muriel’s Wedding. As Muriel looks on, knowing she’s found her true best friend, Rhonda delivers the cutting line, ‘I’d rather swallow razor blades than have a drink with you.’
Tulle, taffeta, tiaras!
Thanks to a generous donation from production company House and Moorhouse Films, the NFSA preserves eight costumes designed by Terry Ryan for Muriel’s Wedding, including Muriel’s gown and the peach and hot pink bridesmaids’ dresses featured in the film.
A dress to remember
The Terry Ryan-designed gown worn by Muriel Heslop (Toni Collette) for her wedding to Olympic swimmer David Van Arkle (Daniel Lapaine) is now preserved at the NFSA.
This striking gown features a low neckline, a highly decorated bodice, ornate lace sleeves, and a full skirt with a modest train in heavy ivory satin. The headpiece adds a touch of regal elegance to the traditional veil, through which we catch Muriel’s unforgettable grin as she walks down the aisle.
Peach perfection
The peach bridesmaids’ ensembles, designed by Terry Ryan, were worn by Cheryl (Rosalind Hammond), Tania (Sophie Lee) and Janine (Belinda Jarrett) at Muriel’s wedding.
Each ensemble features a floor-length frock with a tulle skirt and lace bodice, complemented by a white petticoat, floral hairpiece, earrings, and gold shoes.
Think pink
The hot-pink bridesmaids’ ensembles, also designed by Terry Ryan, were worn by Janine (Belinda Jarrett), Cheryl (Rosalind Hammond), and Nicole (Pippa Grandison, pictured here) at Tania’s wedding in the opening scenes.
These vibrant dresses are paired with pearl choker necklaces, nylon lace gloves, white floral-and-pearl headpieces, and pearl and gold clip-on earrings. The neckline is framed by a stiff ruffle of pink tulle with seed-pearl detailing, while the bridesmaids all wear their hair in matching up-swept styles.
Gold on the cutting room floor
Sometimes, you have to kill your darlings. Explore scenes from Muriel's Wedding that didn’t make the final version, with insights from producer Lynda House on why they were cut.
'There were a number of fabulous scenes that didn’t make the final cut and what you do in the editing process is tune the film endlessly. You cut and cut, and sometimes you take things out and they come back in, and sometimes you take things out reluctantly and they stay out.'Lynda House Producer
A deleted scene from the film shows Muriel (Toni Collette) preparing dinner for her new husband, David (Daniel Lapaine), and coach Ken (Chris Haywood), as Ken excitedly updates her on all the magazines vying for interviews and photo ops about her ‘first month of wedded bliss’.
'Sometimes with secondary characters they can run away with the film, they can take you away from the feeling that you’re living the life of the central character... So I guess that’s why we lost that, I personally love that pizza scene and it was a really hard one to lose.'Lynda House Producer
In this deleted scene from the film, Muriel (Toni Collette) cooks her first meal for new husband David (Daniel Lapaine) and coach Ken (Chris Haywood), only to have David storm out, jealous at the media attention she's receiving and unimpressed with Muriel's culinary skills.
Marketing Muriel
T-shirts, posters and iconic music – a black comedy wrapped in white wedding style.
The UK treatment
To capture UK audiences, distributors pitched Muriel’s Wedding as ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral meets Strictly Ballroom’, tapping into the blockbuster success of Four Weddings (also released in 1994) while promising a dose of antipodean flair.
The soundtrack
This promotional poster for the U.S. release of Muriel’s Wedding highlights its ABBA-rich soundtrack. The music of ABBA wasn’t just a key component of the film’s success; it was woven into its very fabric.
The French take...
French distributors took a more abstract approach, showcasing the bride and groom atop a wedding cake – with the bride precariously sliding off the edge.
...and the Cannes spin
An early poster design promoting Muriel’s Wedding for its Cannes Film Festival screening. The accompanying press book provides cast and crew bios alongside notes from the film’s producers and director.
The promo t-shirt
‘A girl can dream, can’t she?’ This promotional t-shirt from the 1994 Cannes Film Festival offers a glimpse into how Muriel’s Wedding could be marketed to an international audience.
The video tagline
This 1999 poster for an Australian video release of Muriel’s Wedding featured Gabby Millgate and that iconic tagline, ‘You’re terrible, Muriel.’ This design cemented the line’s place in Australian pop culture.
More Muriel
Explore the links below for more Muriel, including behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews.
'Are you Muriel Heslop?' Behind-the-scenes footage taken on the set of Muriel's Wedding. This rehearsal take is of a scene in which Muriel (Toni Collette), meets Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths) at a resort. It's the beginning of a life-changing friendship.
Lynda House, producer of Muriel's Wedding, discussed the film in a Q&A at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra in December 2014 for the film's 20th anniversary. The interview included House's thoughts on the costuming, location and deleted scenes, and she tells the story of how the team finally got the green light from ABBA to use their music.
Jocelyn Moorhouse, who produced Muriel's Wedding (with Lynda House), reveals how she and husband PJ Hogan developed the idea for the film. Hogan also wrote the screenplay and directed it.
Listen to Jeanie Drynan talk about shooting her heartbreaking scene as Betty Heslop in the church on Muriel's wedding day. This audio is from an NFSA oral history interview with Drynan in 2014.
We researched film components held within the NFSA collection over a number of years, resulting in the original international Original Print Negative (OPN) and the domestic Interpositive being scanned for vision restoration by Spectrum Films, and the 2-inch master mix being restored by Soundfirm, as they did in 1994. Director PJ Hogan collaborated with the NFSA throughout each step of the restoration process, and producer Jocelyn Moorhouse and director of photography Martin McGrath signed off on the final restoration. Watch a side-by-side before and after comparison.
See more of our work from the NFSA Restores program.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.