Bad-act brides lose the plot

Bride Wars

Certification: PG

Cast: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Burgen, Bryan Greenberg, Kristen Johnston, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey

Director: Gary Winick

Genre: Romantic Comedy

WHEN you put two gorgeous and fine actresses Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway together in a movie, how can it fail? Sadly, that's what it did.

Kate Hudson had a bad run last year. Her other two movies last year, My Best Friend's Girl and Fool's Gold, were not well received by the critics. She's now down three for three. Let's hope her new releases this year will be better.

On the other hand, Anne Hathaway, among her three releases as well last year, is nominated for Best Actress for her leading role in the critically acclaimed Rachel Getting Married in this month's Academy Awards. Together with the less publicised but equally bad Passengers, she's down two for three.

So what is so bad about Bride Wars? Hudson plays Liv and Hathaway plays Emma, best friends since childhood. Liv grew up to be a tough, aggressive lawyer while Emma is now a gentle school teacher. And both have shared the same dream since childhood, to be married at the The Plaza in the month of June with the expensive Marion St Claire (Candice Burgen) as their wedding planner.

And when the two are proposed to on successive days by their respective other-halves, they finally can make that dream come true. But after enlisting the services of Marion, they later find out that Marion's assistance has made a mistake, putting the two at The Plaza on the same date.

With no more dates available in that month, one of them must give up her preferred location. But neither of them are ready or willing, so from best friends to worst enemies, treachery and sabotage ensues.

The most entertaining scenes are in the first 30 minutes or so. Watching how the two are finally proposed to has its own charm and laughs. Had the movie carried on with the momentum of the introduction, it would have been more interesting, but right after Liv and Emma are told of the mix-up; the movie takes a bad turn into clichés and boredom. Watching the two women act like children playing pranks on each other is nothing new, original or empowering for the 21st century.

And when Liv walks into a meeting with her blouse wrapped around her head to cover her coloured hair, with only a jacket over her bra, the movie dives to a new low.

The story loses its last shreds of credibility when two strong and capable women (and actresses) not only turn into "bridezillas" just for the sake of having a perfect wedding, but also fall into the female stereotype of being unreasonable in such circumstances.

It's as if they are competing to see who can be more petty, who can make the other more miserable just so they can feel better about their situation. It's not even about the wedding or the husbands anymore.

Throughout the craziness, Bryan Greenberg playing Liv's brother, Nate, looks the sanest and calmest every time he's on screen and reminds the audience that there's still some reality in the movie.

Cue the scene when Nate and Emma share a quiet moment while Nate is trying on his tuxedo; it is the most "real" moment in the entire movie, with layers and layers of acting on Hathaway's part.

Other sparks, though rare, come from Kristen Johnston as Emma's overly self-absorbed fellow teacher and a last resort as her maid of honour. Johnston gets the best punchlines and delivers them with impeccable timing.

Director Gary Winick has done better, especially with Charlotte's Web and 13 Going On 30, but with a script such as this, there's not much anyone can do. Wedding satire or not, a note to the writers and producers, including Kate Hudson: a wedding in the morning and another in the afternoon would have solved everything. Yes, there's no fun in that, but there is no fun in this one anyway.

Reviewer's Rating: 4/10

The Brunei Times