Betsy's Wedding

Alan Alda wrote, directed, and starred in this lightweight comedy about a wedding and the havoc it causes in one family. Dad (Alda) wants it big and splashy; Betsy (Molly Ringwald), the one who's actually getting married, wants something small and personal (and is even considering eloping). As the momentum shifts back and forth between lavish and intimate, other comic tussles are played out in the background--such as how Dad is going to pay for all this. The best moments belong to the odd couple of Ally Sheedy and Anthony LaPaglia: She's a cop and the bride's sister and he's a Mafia underling who discovers he has a thing for a woman in uniform. Even if it doesn't add up to much, it's painlessly entertaining nonetheless. --Marshall Fine