Bride Hard wants to be a Paul Feig movie so bad. Known for his female-led comedies in the late 2000s and 2010s, Feig is known for his acute ability to combine humor, pathos, and action to move the story along in memorable and hilarious ways. The essence of his best, such as The Heat, Spy, and of course Bridesmaids, make up the DNA of Bride Hard without any of the tact and care that those films are known for. Instead of a smart and funny commentary on female friendship, it’s a cliché, harshly written money grab that gives female-led casts a bad name.
Rebel Wilson and Anna Camp, known for their work on Pitch Perfect together, reunite as two lifelong friends who face a crossroads in their relationship. Camp plays Betsy, a thirty-something bride who is very excited to get married to the wealthy Ryan (Sam Huntington). She harbours resentment and frustration towards her best friend Sam (Wilson), who is married to her job. Sam also happens to be a government asset. This is sort of where the story goes off the rails.
After ditching Betsy and the rest of the bridal party in Paris for a mission and subsequently getting demoted from Maid-of-Honor, Sam attends the wedding on Ryan’s family’s island. Not only is her relationship with Betsy icy, but she is getting left out by the rest of the bridal party, including Ryan’s controlling sister, Virginia (Anna Chlumsky), and Betsy’s college roommates, Lydia (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Zoe (Gigi Zumbado). When the ceremony is crashed by a dangerous cartel member (Stephen Doff), Sam and Betsy must put everything aside to save the day.
To say this script is a hodge-podge of cliches and plot devices would be an understatement. Nothing is really developed; every line feels flimsy. There are no emotional stakes. The stars director Simon West brings together give wooden and goofy performances. Rebel Wilson lacks the comedic precision and believability to be a secret agent. She is no Melissa McCarthy, who gives an underrated performance in Spy.
Anna Camp plays the damsel in distress best friend as obnoxiously over-the-top as possible. Every reaction is overdrawn. At one point, she comes bounding into the room as if she is on Lassie, screaming about how her friend is really alive. The tone, the cadence, everything— very Lassie-like. The characters may be written as caricatures, but Camp’s one-note performance doesn’t do the film any favors.
There are so many elements of this film that are just off. From the blatant product placement for Lay’s, Sun Chips, and E.L.F. cosmetics to the awkward pacing, there’s so much that doesn’t work in Bride Hard. The action scenes were long and boring. I felt myself falling asleep during one at the end. It is also worth mentioning that Sam’s family owns a centuries-old distillery in Savannah that is not not a plantation. Like, they have cannons on the property but don’t mention its history at all. The whole thing is weird.
The best part of Bride Hard is Da’Vine Joy Randolph. She is witty and beautiful and not in the film enough. When she is, she’s in a completely different movie, a better movie I can stand watching. She deserves better. Women in general deserve better.
Bride Hard is in theaters today. Watch the trailer below.