For their entire lives, Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) had dreamed of their perfect wedding… which includes getting married at the Plaza Hotel. When they both find themselves engaged simultaneously, they go together to book the Plaza Hotel on different weekends in June. A clerical error books another bride on Emma’s day, so Emma and Liv are forced to get married on the same day or risk switching venues or waiting several years for another date to open up. Neither really wants to be the one to back down, so their friendship begins to deteriorate as they wage war against one another.
I wasn’t terribly fond of Bride Wars when I first saw it, and to be honest, it wasn’t that much better the second time around. However, once I read about the history of Bride Wars’ conception, I learned that writers Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael were going for more of a satire of bridezillas and society’s obsession with weddings. Unfortunately, the humor didn’t come through the finished product.
Liv and Emma both have good and bad traits, but the film brings out the bad ones. It turns both of the main characters into petty, unlikeable people. Chris Pratt plays Emma’s fiancé Fletcher, and his increasing disgust with Emma’s behavior is meant to show the audience that maybe Emma and Fletcher aren’t meant to be together… although… you can’t help but understand where he’s coming from. It’s more about the wedding for Emma and Liv, and beating each other, than it is about the actual marriage. Plus, most of the movie has grown women acting like children.
Anyway, I can’t deny that I found some parts of the movie entertaining. Some of the horrible tricks Liv and Emma play on each other were pretty funny, if not overly original. My biggest gripe with Bride Wars is that the premise is flawed. Liv and Emma met with Marion St. Clair, decided their dates, and signed their contracts. All before the third bride – who takes Emma’s date – stepped foot in Marion’s office.
A woman as reputable and professional as St. Claire would understand that Emma and Liv signed first, so she should have told the third bride that her date was already booked and she would have to switch it to the same date as Liv’s. Problem? Solved. Movie? Well, non-existent. But you get the idea.
