By Kimberly Grant
Female buddy comedies are usually a good time at the movies. They make audience members laugh, cry, and remember the bonds of sisterhood. Pitch Perfect was one of those movies some years ago. Now that the Pitch franchise has ended, two of the franchise’s stars have teamed up for a new female buddy comedy. And, it’s not Pitch Perfect or even close.
Bride Hard is playing in theaters nationwide.
Why?
Bride Hard stars Rebel Wilson as Sam, a secret agent who is married to her work and maid of honor for her long-time friend Betsy’s (Anna Camp) wedding. The film, written by Cece Pleasants and Shaina Steinberg, starts with a bachelorette weekend in Paris and ends with Betsy’s wedding at her husband-to-be’s family estate on a private island in Savannah, GA. The wedding venue is not mentioned as a plantation house, but there are signs, including a working cannon outside of the big house.
In the vein of Bridesmaids, there are three other bridesmaids and friends that round out this cast. You have uber anxious rich girl Virginia (Anna Chlumsky), party girl Lydia (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), and very pregnant Zoe (Gigi Zumbado) as bridesmaids. Sam’s work colleague, Nadine is played by Sherry Cola and the movie’s heartthrob, Chris, is played by Justin Hartley. The names above are great character actors and their roles in this movie should have made the story pop. Alas, they did not.
Hallmark?
Like many people, I am a fan of the Hallmark movies, especially the ones that aired at Christmas time. Yes, these films are campy and have weak plots (gingerbread cannot save Christmas). But when I sit down to watch these movies, I do it with the full knowledge that I’m going to get a weak plot, sappy love lines, and a kiss at the end. Knowing makes it easier to watch. With Bride Hard it’s different.
Bride Hard is like the stepchild of a Hallmark movie mixed with the cast of Pitch Perfect trying to capture the brilliance of Bridesmaid. It fails on all accounts. Bride Hard is hard to watch. It’s cheesy in a bad way. The plot is super weak: the wedding is taken over by some bad guys. The acting is subpar. The characters are not that relatable. Wilson is unconvincing as a super spy with subpar fighting skills and relying heavily on a stunt double. And the villain, played by Stephen Dorff is unremarkable.
This movie is bad. It’s worse than a Hallmark movie. It’s not worth buying a movie ticket. If this had aired on a streaming service, like Amazon Prime, then I might have been a little more forgiving. Case in point: Prime’s Another Simple Favor starring Anna Kendrick was a cringe-worthy, cheesy version of the previous film. And, had I paid to see it, I would have been thoroughly disappointed. However, I have a Prime membership so I saw it for free and I only lost an hour and a half of my life that I cannot get back.
I wish there was a redeeming quality for Bride Hard but I can’t think of anything. The fact that it’s directed by Simon West, the director of Con Air and The General’s Daughter, makes it feel worse. He failed to capture the greatness of female friendships in a way that resonated with me. Bride Hard just isn’t worth the movie ticket purchase.
Wondering what films K. A. Grant actually liked? Check out her Entertainment Blog.
