Bride Wars Review

The wedding day is meant to be one of the standout days in your life - with a bit of luck. But it is simply that - a day - and unfortunately some people can lose focus on what's really important - i.e. the marriage itself rather than the event. And that is where Gary Winick's ("13 Going On 30") latest movie comes in.

"Bride Wars" sees two friends turn Bridezilla when their wedding date clashes - or more like Bridezilla Vs. Bridezuki. Once upon a time the very best of friends, Liv and Emma did everything together. But after they happen to get engaged at the same time, their wedding planner (the best you can get apparently) makes a catastrophic mistake and books them for the same day in the same venue.

Incredibly, neither bride is prepared to back down (almost as unbelievable as the fact that they can book their prime location just three months earlier on a summer Saturday), and the result means war. Initially competing for guests, DJs, cakes and the like, the feuding soon takes a darker and funnier twist as the pair resort to sabotaging the other's big day with copious amounts of edible treats, swapping hair dye mixes and body tan paints. Landing the radiant Anne Hathaway ("Get Smart") and the sassy Kate Hudson ("Fool's Gold") should have been dynamite for director Gary Winick, but the film goes off with more of a fizz than a bang, and ultimately fails to impress.

Hathaway is in fine form as the downtrodden friend who finally develops a spine, while Hudson, who has featured in a string of distinctly unimpressive roles of late, underwhelms as her one time BFF. Sadly both are hampered by a weak script, and characters shallower than a birdbath, with the result that the only thing to come out of the film glowingly is designer Vera Wang whose dresses get plenty of prominence.

Inevitably this film knows its target audience, and the appeal of two stars such as Hathaway and Hudson will ensure that this won't take the plunge, but don't expect this wedding movie to go off without a hitch or two.