Review of Bride Wars (2015) by E_ L — 31 Dec 2011

"Bride Wars" is a goofy comedy that is sufficiently entertaining, even though the preview may lead you to believe otherwise. While watching the trailer for the film, it would appear that the main characters, the so-called "best friends," end up having a strong dislike for each other. It comes across as a movie that tries to achieve laughs by focusing on the negativity of a deteriorating friendship. That hardly sounds like an idea that is suitable for a fun, upbeat comedy. Well, after seeing the movie itself, it is now clear that nothing could be further from the truth. "Bride Wars" has a keen sense of amusement and is never callous. The situations that may seem initially unpleasant are so implicitly comical and frolicsome that at times, the movie almost feels like it's making fun of itself.

Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson star as best friends, Emma and Liv. Since their childhood, they have dreamed of getting married at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Once their boyfriends finally propose marriage to them, they arrange for their weddings to take place on two separate days in June. (They have always wanted a June wedding as well.) However, due to a careless oversight, both of their weddings end up being scheduled for the very same day. Now one of them will have to abandon her childhood dream and move her wedding to a different venue. Naturally, they refuse to change their plans, even though several attempts are made to persuade each other to reconsider. Despite a series of embarrassing situations, both of their weddings still end up taking place on the same day at the same venue, not to mention the very same time of the day.

Hathaway and Hudson both have an appealing on-screen presence. Even when their characters are angry and at each other's throats, there's an underlying facetiousness in their mannerisms and the way they deliver their lines. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but it works here. Call me crazy, but I would go so far as to say that these two characters are so blithe and charming that they could never be obnoxious even if they tried.

Much of the humor centers around Emma and Liv playing tricks on each other. Some of the gags are fairly clever. At one point, Liv receives a couple of boxes of chocolates and a basket of large cookies from Emma. Shortly after, it turns out that Liv cannot fit into her wedding dress. I was quite amused by this. When movie characters play tricks on each other, it's nice to see more imaginative tricks with sneaky setups. Comedy of this sort may not be "classic," but it's still funny and witty compared to more strained humor characterized by excessive profanity and cruel, fatuous sight gags. On that basis, it seems like the writers have actually tried to put some thought into the creation of the screenplay.

"Bride Wars" is certainly not a great film. In all honesty, I didn't find it to be very distinctive or memorable. Nevertheless, with a decent amount of humor, a good sense of fun, and the allure of Hathaway and Hudson, the movie is still a worthwhile experience to see.