Opening Friday, Fox’s new comedy “Bride Wars” revolves around the story about two best friends who become fierce enemies when their wedding dates both fall on June 6 at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
By virtue of a clerical error made by the office of the so-called queen of wedding planners Marion St. Claire, played by Candice Bergen, the two lifelong friends unfortunately find out that their weddings have been scheduled for the same day and also at the same location.
Still, the issue could be easily solved, were it not for the fact that the women, Liv and Emma, portrayed by Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, respectively, each have their minds set on a specific goal. On one hand, Liv, a litigator who is used to always having things go her way, wants to keep everything heading in that same direction and thus having her wedding when and where she desires. On the other hand, Emma, a too nice and easy-going schoolteacher, is determined to have things go her way for once in her life and make the wedding all about her and what she wants.
From that point on, everything turns from bad to worse, with the two friends coming to plot against each other, although in sort of a silly, fifth grade manner. Consequently, Liv sneaks into a tanning salon so as to make sure that Emma gets an orange skin, while the latter, in her turn, sneaks into a hair salon to make sure that Liv’s new hair color would be blue. And not because she wants to help her friend and thus leave her to try and find only something borrowed and something new for the big day.
Nevertheless, the movie, scripted by Greg DePaul and Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael, lacks all but these childish conspiracies. There is no underlying cause for the way Liv and Emma behave, nor is there a reason behind the fact that they so desperately want to get married and neither of them would postpone their plans.
Furthermore, director Gary Winick fails to set a difference between the two women when it comes to their frustration, which turns out to be a major shortcoming for „Bride Wars” since different if not downright opposite personalities should not react the same when enraged.
The production also stars Kristen Johnston as a maid of honor who runs on alcohol, Bryan Greenberg as Liv’s fiance, Chris Pratt as Emma’s and Steve Howey as Liv’s brother.
During the filming for the movie, when Hudson and Hathaway were doing a catfight scene, the former accidentally hit her co-star in the face so bad that Anne had to use an ice pack to calm the pain, 29-year-old Kate Hudson revealed on the „Rachael Ray” show Thursday.
Hudson established herself as a Hollywood lead actress after starring in the „Almost Famous” movie, which earned her an Oscar nomination and also a Golden Globe Award.
As for Anne Hathaway, 26, she made her mark with her role in Disney’s family comedy „The Princess Diaries,” in which she appeared alongside Julie Andrews.
