Bride Wars (2009)
Directed by Gary Winick
Two best friends become rivals when their respective weddings are accidentally booked for the same day.
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What critics compared Bride Wars to
The buzz: Wiig co-wrote the script, so you know "Bridesmaids" is no "Bride Wars."
In a lesser movie this would turn into the kind of horror show we've already been subjected to by hateful, stupid, anti-woman movies like Bride Wars, but here it winds up a story about the shifting, changing nature of adult friendships, with a little help from raging tantrums thrown using props like giant heartshaped cookies and chocolate fondue fountains to get the point across.
Before ‘nam styles flashbacks of Bride Wars come flooding in, take solace in the knowledge that the war between Annie and Helen is mostly psychological in nature, and never outlandish.
(The curse was reinforced in January 2009 when the anemic rom-com Bride Wars hit theaters, just as one of its stars, Anne Hathaway, received a Best Actress nomination for Rachel Getting Married... which she subsequently didn't win.)
As factory-assembled rom-coms go, No Strings Attached isn’t as dire as last year’s Killers (also starring Kutcher) or 2009’s Bride Wars.
There is not a smidgeon of doubt that all will prevail, and Winick ladles on the cliches with shameless abandon – the soaring and sickly-sweet music; cutesy dialogue dubbed over endless shots of a car disappearing into a golden, rural horizon (Marco Pontecorvo’s lush, postcard-cinematography is superb); and (sigh) a wedding, though thankfully Winick handles the event with far more subtlety than his last cinematic trip down the aisle, 2009’s execrable Bride Wars.
For that, you may thank director Gary Winick, the nongenius ("13 Going on 30," "Bride Wars") who slathers the Italian scenes with an oozing, sun-dappled butteryness.
Director Gary Winick ("Tadpole," "Bride Wars") keeps things moving along agreeably, but one wishes he had pushed his actors into more grey areas.
Woodenly directed by Gary Winick (the felon responsible for last year's hideous "Bride Wars").
Director Gary Winick, who has a spotty record, with the dismal Bride Wars (2009) to his credit, counterbalanced by the surprisingly good 13 Going on 30 (2004), recognized that this flimsy story isn�t enough to satisfy an audience for almost two hours, so he throws in lots and lots of spectacular views of Italy, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Director Gary Winick (2009's " Bride Wars ") and cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo (2006's " Firewall "), taking advantage of their exotic locations, shoot the rustic villages and sun-dappled vineyards of Italy with loving care.
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But Winick, who last brought us the lovely and gentle "Charlotte's Web" in 2006, has squandered his assets in what turns into a misanthropic take on love and marriage.
Since directing the smart Manhattan dramatic comedy Tadpole, Winick has spent the past five years on such Hollywood dross as 13 Going On 30 and the live-action adaptation of Charlotte's Web.
Directed by the usually reliable Gary Winick (2006's " Charlotte's Web "), "Bride Wars" is as trite and unpleasant as it sounds.
OK, so one the one hand, we have director Gary Winick who has given us such charmers as "Tadpole" and "Charlotte's Web" and even lent sweetness to chick flick "13 Going on 30."
"Bride Wars" was directed by Gary Winick, whose track record includes the heartfelt romantic comedy "13 Going on 30" and the lovely 2005 adaptation of "Charlotte's Web."
Zachary Gordon (2007's " Georgia Rule ") is spunky and sympathetic as Greg, while Robert Capron (2009's " Bride Wars ") is a standout as Rowley, an earnest, stand-up guy who beats to the rhythm of his own drum and doesn't judge his own self-worth based upon how many people like him.
The buzz: After 2009's "Bride Wars" this is the second consecutive January kicking off with a comedy about successful career women throwing away dignity and independence for the sake of nuptials.