Bride Wars Starring Kate Hudson
An Exercise in Banality
For a couple years now, chick flicks have been on the downward slope in quality. Plots have been predictable to the point of absurdity, characters have been one dimensional in the extreme, and the number of clichés in any one film has shot through the roof. Examples of this trend can be seen in films like Definitely Maybe, 27 Dresses, Made of Honor, and most recently He’s Just Not That Into You.
Not a Female Role Model in Sight
It is quite a feat to make a movie centered around two weddings and almost entirely avoid the subject of love and romance, but screenwriter Greg DePaul has managed it quite well. These weddings are clearly about the event: venue, fashion, eyeliner, and plenty of carb-free food.
What happened to wonderfully nuanced, goosebump-inducing chick flicks? Is emotion out of style? Watching Father of the Bride (for example) and Bride Wars back to back is culture shock in the extreme – are these characters really all talking about the same type of event? The only emotion in Bride Wars is back-stabbing anger, and maybe a little greed thrown in for good measure. Meanwhile, Father of the Bride is overflowing with warm-hearted love, amusing fatherly paranoia, and beautifully optimistic romance.
Hudson and Hathaway Are Thoroughly Disappointing
One of the most surprising aspects of Bride Wars’ utter failure is its two leading stars. Both of them have starred in completely successful romantic comedies in the past. Kate Hudson’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days remains a major favorite among romcom fans, and she delivers a very funny, perfectly charming performance as its lead. She has since also released Fool’s Gold, which was not as well received but did not come near the disaster of Bride Wars. Hudson even co-produced Bride Wars, which implies that she saw so much promise in this script, she was willing to risk her finances and her career. It’s an altogether puzzling move from this otherwise loveable actress.
Anne Hathaway has been on a winning streak this past year, scoring big with both Get Smart and Rachel Getting Married. The former was a massive commercial success, and the latter got her an Oscar nod for her emotionally wrenching leading role. Hathaway has by now more than proved her chops as an actress in multiple genres, and it is not her performance that is the problem here. Her last big chick flick, Devil Wears Prada, showed her in a very positive female prototype – a strong, thinking woman who has to choose between morals and ambition, career and love. Basically, it is the exact opposite of Bride Wars, which makes her involvement all the more surprising.
On a positive note, Hathaway does claim the one positive element in the movie. When it comes time for this heavily moussed event, her character has a moment of reflection, and comes to the decision that this man is not the one for her. She ends the relationship directly prior to the altar and decides to appear in her friend’s wedding instead. It’s no Two Weeks’ Notice, but in a frame so devoid of values, we’ll take what we can get.
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