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Bride Wars

May the Best Bride Win

By VR Bryant

With awards season creeping up, the buzz is all about millionaires, Nixon and Benjamin Button. But just because the noms are going to all the serious flicks doesn’t mean there isn’t time for some fun in the interim.

Normally, a movie like “Bride Wars” would strike me as forgettable; more plug-and-play tripe meant more as an advertisement for the headlining actors than as a real attempt at film. For whatever reason, though, this one seems different.

The plot is simple enough: two friends (Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway), each obsessed with engineering a perfect wedding, wind up unwittingly scheduling their respective nuptials on the same day. They go berserk, and – as ever – hi-jinks ensue.

So what is it about the film that intrigues me? Well, though I’ve undercut Hudson in the past, she’s shown that she can be a good comedic actress and she probably isn’t nearly as obnoxious when there’s someone there to share the screen.

And sharing the screen this time is the always-enchanting Anne Hathaway, who despite having been born with eyes the size of tennis balls, is lovely and talented and alright, yes I have a crush on her. Moving on.

What this movie really reminds me of is a re-imagining of “Grumpy Old Men” (1993)—a cute, harmless prank vehicle that will probably try at some point to be touching. I mean honestly, it’s not like you didn’t know Lemmon and Matthau would be friends again at the end. It didn’t matter—it wasn’t a mystery flick.

And “Bride Wars” isn’t either, but then, not every movie has to be “The Sixth Sense”. What remains to be seen is whether Hudson and Hathaway have the kind of connection that can make this type of movie work. Lemmon and Matthau, apart from being a couple of ultra-talented old salts, had a legitimate chemistry from years of working together. Hell, even the sequel – “Grumpier” – was good.

So that’s the only real mystery—do these two twenty-something actresses have enough comedy clout to carry the film? The previews, at least, are encouraging.

Also in the cast are Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”) and Kristen Johnson (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) to add some veteran chops. Director Gary Winick isn’t Martin Scorcese or anything, but he did write and direct 2002’s “Tadpole”, a very underrated indie and personal favorite.

All told, this is probably a ‘girl’s night out’ kind of venture, but guys shouldn’t balk—it has the potential to be very funny. Worst case scenario, you still get to stare at Anne Hathaway for 90 minutes.

Originally Published: January 7, 2009

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