SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Comwayon
A Disappointing Continuation
deiscire
Review for "Kiss the Bride" (2007 movie) Come into "Kiss the Bride" expecting a big gay romance or even a gay version of "My Best Friend's Wedding" and you're going to be disappointed. Watch it with an eye for some great one-liners (the car rental agent!), a surprisingly insightful look at relationships, and an appreciation for deep, platonic relationships and you might have a chance of liking it.The premise: Matt (Phillip Karner) receives a wedding invitation from his long-lost, high school best friend (and first love), Ryan (James O'Shea). Imagine his shock when it turns out that Ryan's fiancé is a woman! Just how did the guy who taught Matt how to, er, orally pleasure a man (by example) end up with a woman? So of course Matt must return to his rural hometown to save Ryan from his marriage and their mutual hometown.Already sounds like a carbon copy, right? Don't pass on this film just yet. Central to this story is the question of what 'I love you' really means and why we can't ever divorce ourselves from our history (and, really, why we shouldn't).Over the course of the movie, we see groom-to-be Ryan and his fiancée, bride-to-be Alex (Tori Spelling) have a great, playful chemistry. Tori Spelling and James O'Shea did a good job of portraying a comfortably warm, affectionate couple that are together for the long-haul (only anxious about the wedding itself). The answer to why marriage makes them so anxious is neatly answered in a speech towards the end of the movie, which some viewers might not like (personally, I like the dramatic realization/speech delivery in this movie. Tori Spelling did a great job there and voiced a thought that I think many people have when it comes to marriage).It is, however, the relationship between our two lead men that really drew me in. The two actors do a great job portraying the deep, deep affection (dare I say love?) that's still between the two men. I can't say too much without revealing too much, but I am proud of Ryan's character for being proud to call Matt his "first love...first everything." That their connection is transcended the normal boundaries of friendship spoke true to me.I'll admit I'm a sucker for friendships that just go above and beyond, but I think the actors did a great job here. If that type of relationship appeals to you, then I think you'll enjoy this film quite a bit.
thesar-2
In Kiss the Bride, they make references to My Best Friend's Wedding. Oh, if only it was that good of a movie.At least they acknowledged the obvious copy of the much better script. I'll give 'em kudos for that. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was choppy, poorly edited, poorly acted and predictable. That said, it was still a well-mannered, well-meaning light rom-com romance and if the evening's free, it's worth a shot.Much like the foresaid My Best Friend's Wedding, (and let me throw in a little bit of the absolute ferior Big Eden) a gay male returns home only to find his previous boyhood crush marrying (gasp!) a female. Will he become friends with the bride-to-be? Will he win over the heart of the previous fling? (And yes, it involves prior sexual child-experiences.) Will any of this be original or suspenseful? In all honesty, the finale at the wedding is pretty shocking and enjoyable. It makes up solely for all that's been done previously. So, even if you're turned off by the ho-hum premise and mid-section, stay for the closing. Even the shocking twists from resident fag-hag Tori Spelling.The jokes are
just okay. The homophobia tolerable. But some of the out-there scenes, such as what the title suggests and the ignorance of the characters were a tab bit off kilt. The mistakes were well known – they mention the hometown in Arizona, but then switch it to New Mexico, for whatever reason. And as much as I'm not a Tori fan, she really does steal every scene she's in and is the most enjoyable character in the movie.Overall, again, it's worth a shot. I liked how people who are really what they are, gay/straight/whatever, stay that way. Otherwise, people might confuse the "lifestyle" as a "choice." And we know better. Right?
JakeWestern
This was enjoyable, if not exactly a "feature" - it looked like it was shot for TV (especially the toaster graphics for the opening credits!). I thought the script was good, but the direction was very uninteresting and static (C. Jay Cox, whose script for "Latter Days" wasn't this strong but who did well with "Sweet Home Alabama", fumbled the ball behind the camera). The acting was uniformly strong among the supporting cast and two of the three leads were quite good. Pleasant surprise? Tori Spelling was among those two. She didn't play too broad and achieved some real moments of emotional connection to her character that made you feel for Alex.In the end, it's the small things that work best in this movie - the little human moments between characters outside of the craziness a romantic comedies conventions demand. The script could have used a polish, but overall this is an enjoyable movie that I'd be happy to catch on cable again in the future.
blackheart-3
so i watched this last night at a film festival and i wasn't quite sure what to expect. i've never been wowed by anything Here! network so i had my reservations. and the plot early off sounds like a "my best friends wedding" remake, and while the similarities are striking, there is such a twist to the story.the actors work well with each other, especially amber benson and jane cho who both have small but memorable characters.what most impressed me was how the plot would so often veer towards a predictable movie moment, and either a twist was put in, or a re-interpretation of the situation that kept it fresh. (like when alex finally finds out...). while a few critics have written it off as too light and unbelievable, i really think this is one of the better gay movies i have seen recently.