Review of Bachelorette (2012) by Kelsea L — 08 Apr 2013

Bachelorette is a raunchy yet dark comedy that sports a great cast. The three leading ladies keep the laughs coming while still managing to convey the real darkness of their current lives. But it falls just short of any real emotion, having the characters resort to a predictable ending.

Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Gena (Lizzy Caplan), and Katie (Isla Fisher) are high school friends who reunite to see Becky (Rebel Wilson), their fat friend, get married. Regan, the overachieving alpha cannot believe it is Becky getting married first, but assumes her maid of honor duties with ferocity and efficiency. Reluctant Gena flies in for the New York wedding from L.A., mostly so she can see Clyde (an always terrific Adam Scott) her high school boyfriend she is still hung up on. Ditzy party girl Katie is just excited to get wild, something she does every weekend to the point of overdose. Throw in copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine as well as a ripped wedding dress that has to be fixed before the next morning, and you have the main action of the movie.

I've seen this movie compared to The Hangover and Bridesmaids and while the inspiration is there, this movie falls short of the major laughs. The girls being frenemies keeps there from being any real sense of friendship until the clichéd ending and also keeps the movie from being as great as it could potentially be. The movie is based on director Leslye Headland's stage play and was actually written before Bridesmaids, but because of the similar name and unfortunate release time it has some big expectations to live up to...and it just doesn't.

There are some fantastic lines from each girl, delivered with great comedic timing as well as appropriate emotion. Caplan, whose character has some interesting perspectives on men and sex, delivers a speech dividing men into two categories: the Krakow's and the Catalano's. It's probably one of the best "My So Called Life" references I've ever heard and some of the best lines in the movie. Rebel Wilson, while driving to her wedding still sans wedding dress delivers the line, "I'm going to walk in wearing my pajamas like I'm fucking Michael Jackson," with such perfect timing, it really feels like she is a stressed out bride. However, Kirsten Dunst steals the show with her polished anecdote about the kids with cancer she works with while snarling at everyone around her for being idiot assholes.

Overall, this movie is a fun watch especially if you are a fan of the cast members. The neatly packaged ending makes the girls' previous nastiness toward each other and life seem pointless and fake. With an ending that reflects the true nature of the characters, this movie could have been great. Unfortunately, it falls short, doomed to be a funny weeknight movie sitting in your Netflix queue.

Bachelorette is rated R for sexual content, pervasive language and drug use.