BRIDE HARD

Bride Hard relies on the comedic and onscreen chemistry between Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Gigi Zumbado, who make a delightful bridal party, packing laughter and heart into this otherwise derivative action comedy.

On the set of the Pitch Perfect films, a bond was forever forged between the female cast who portrayed the Barden Bellas, creating a sisterhood for life amongst stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld and many more. While we have yet to see a fourth film in the fan favourite series, anytime these ladies collaborate on screen is a must watch event for fans of Pitch Perfect because they have such an infectious chemistry that can bring any film to life. Kendrick cast Kelley Jake in her directorial debut Woman of the Hour, and now Wilson and Camp are reuniting for the latest action comedy Bride Hard. Hailing from director Simon West, the man behind the original Angelina Jolie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Con Air and The Expendables 2, Wilson brings her enjoyable comic routine to the action genre as a secret agent who finds herself the only one able to save her best friend’s wedding from armed mercenaries, that even though it’s not as exciting as audiences would hope for when it comes to the action sequences, Wilson and the rest of her female co-stars make up for this with their wonderful chemistry that creates a fun watch.

If you’re watching Bride Hard and think “boy, this plot seems pretty familiar,” you aren’t wrong, as it is more than just a play on the name of one of the most beloved action films that Bride Hard shares with Die Hard. While it closely follows the narrative beats of the Bruce Willis action flick as Sam saves her best friend’s wedding from a group of armed mercenaries, there is an undeniable comedic flavour to the film that plays into Wilson’s talents as an actress and brings a heart to the film amidst the violence. Even though West has been known for delivering great action sequences in the past and tries to reinvent that energy with this comedy driven story of a best friend trying not only to save the day but salvage her friendship with her best friend, the action sequences come across very flat. Despite decent stunt work, it is very obvious that it is not Wilson performing the majority of her stunts due to the camera work trying to avoid showing her face during these sequences (and that one wig you can see fall out of place on the stunt perform), which lessens the intensity of these sequences, and is not aided by the incredibly distracting green screen background and subpar CGI work in the final action sequence which sucks the excitement out of the film’s big finale as it feels incredibly fake. Luckily, the film is strong enough in the comedic moments outside of the action sequences to balance the overall experience out, ensuring that there is still lots of fun to be had for viewers.

Everyone knows that Wilson is hilarious and an ever dependable comedic actress, and it should be no surprise that she is exactly this in the lead role of Sam. What we haven’t seen from Wilson before is her as an action star, and with the script ensuring that the action sequences are always infused with a comedic gag that plays to Wilson’s strength, she becomes the perfect lead for this film. Camp is great as the bride-to-be Betsy, tapping into her real life friendship with Wilson to bring to life these best friends at the centre of the film. Anna Chlumsky is lots of fun as Virginia, Betsy’s soon to be sister-in-law and controlling maid of honour who is constantly trying to show up Sam, never missing that mean streak as she constantly tries to compete for Betsy’s friendship to satisfy her own insecurities. And rounding out the bridal party are Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Gigi Zumbado, both of whom are hilarious throughout. As a group, these women all play wonderfully off each other and create an instant, fun, and unbreakable bond that brings the film to life, quickly becoming the film’s most valuable asset.

While it is no stretch to see him as the handsome best man who has a fun flirtation with Sam, Justin Hartley is woefully miscast as Chris when the script asks for him to go beyond the love interest stereotype. It is in these moments, which is sadly the majority of the film, where Hartley does not have the required energy to pull off the role despite his talents as an actor, unfortunately dragging the film down. Stephen Dorff is menacing enough as the leader of the mercenaries, but he is not given the time to truly create a sinister villain that the story desperately needed, while Sam Huntington and Michael O’Neill are lots of fun as Ryan and Frank respectively. And even though she is a great comedic actress, Sherry Cola barely has any screen time and is undervalued in this film despite having a great comedic dynamic with Wilson when they share the screen.

Bride Hard does not become the female driven action film that director Simon West and his team set out to make, but given the demographic that the film is targeting, there is still sufficient entertainment to be had while watching it given its other elements. When focusing on the female friendships and comedy, Bride Hard finds its heart and entertainment value thanks to the strong female cast at the centre of the film, more than compensating for lacklustre action sequences riddled with poor CGI and underwhelming villains. Thanks to hilarious, charming and all around infectious energy brought to this film by Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Gigi Zumbado, Bride Hard has more than enough working in its favour in the comedy and heartfelt friendship dramedy department that saves it from being just another forgettable and generic action comedy.