The Wedding Gift

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The Wedding Gift ★★★ Wide-Eyed and Legless 1993 (PG-13)

Offbeat charm and humor go a long way to overcome the inherent tragedy in this true story made for British TV. Longtime happily marrieds Diana (Walters) and Deric (Broadbent) Longden are struggling to cope with Diana's mysterious and increasingly debilitating illness, which causes blackouts, pain, and the inability to use her limbs. Diana comes to accept the fact that she's going to die and decides to find her hubby a new wife, aided by Deric's friendship with a blind novelist (Thomas). Terrific performances keep the mawkishness at bay. Based on Deric Longden's books “Diana's Story” and “Lost for Words.” 87m/C VHS, DVD . GB Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Sian Thomas, Thora Hird, Andrew Lancel, Anastasia Mulrooney; D: Richard Loncraine; W: Jack Rosenthal; C: Remi Adefarasin. TV