Title: Bride Wars
Rating: PG
Moral Rating: Poor
Nudity: Minor
Profanity: Minor
Violence: None
Every little girl dreams of true love – and better yet, the day she marries that true love. So it is with Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway), two best friends who have planned out their wedding days since elementary school. The girls once saw a wedding taking place at The Plaza in New York and both knew two things: they wanted to get married at The Plaza and they would be each other’s maid of honor. Those plans are put to the test when Liv and Emma are engaged within the same week and even further tested when, by a chance accident, their wedding dates are set on the same day.
Someone has to be selfless and give up her spot at The Plaza. Unfortunately, overbearing, control-freak Liv and the softer, but determined, Emma cannot come to an agreement. Based on misunderstanding and confusion, a bride-against-bride war ensues, threatening both the weddings and a friendship as well.
True love? Bride Wars does not give us any representation of this. Lasting friendships? The premise of the movie lies with the selfishness of both participating parties. The meaning of marriage? There is no “meaning” to marriage as portrayed by Bride Wars because for both main characters, it’s about the wedding – not the commitment.
Lack of commitment is a recurring theme throughout the movie Bride Wars, which is ironic considering it is a movie about marriage – the ultimate commitment. Yet Liv and Emma are a peek into our society’s view of relationships and promises kept: both women have been living with their boyfriends for some time before they are engaged. Their lack of commitment to each other, as friends, is made apparent by the fragility of their bond when pressure tests them. The only real faithfulness in the movie is seen in Liv and Emma’s ardent attachment to “the perfect wedding” without regard for the fact that the wedding is but one day in a lifetime of marriage.
This said, the film certainly offers plenty of humor. The lengths Emma and Liv go to in attempt at revenge are entertaining and hilarious. Yet even within the lighter moments the dialogue is littered with the Lord’s name taken in vain, as well as other instances of crude or vulgar references. Most scenes involve drinking, and one in particular takes this from a debatable habit to an extremely immoral activity when the girls wildly celebrate at a nightclub for their bachelorette parties.
Bride Wars’ greatest failure lies not with the language, the materialistic themes, or even its misplaced perception of marriage. The film’s worst aspect is within its representation of ideal femininity: the woman society expects us to be. Considering that the movie appeals to a female audience, Bride Wars’ contorted exhibition of womanhood has potential for much influence. While Liv must operate in full control, always maintaining perfection, her friend Emma provides a balance of gentleness and love. Over the course of the movie, Liv softens and eventually realizes that “life isn’t perfect, it’s messy.”
Emma, however, does not remain the soft and appealing woman we find her when the film begins – a fact that her fiancé notices as well. We find her becoming more and more wild, less ladylike and demure. Her digression is glorified as an asset to her character rather than a detriment. No longer “spineless” (humble) and “people-pleasing” (kind), she becomes the woman our society tells us is ideal: independent, unencumbered, and pushing always for her own way.
This is a chick flick that I enjoyed watching with my sisters and mom on Ladies’ Night – when I got a discount on my ticket. If you choose to watch it as I did, go in knowing you are about to hear and see a representation of marriage and womanhood that goes against every Biblical principle. No amount of humor and fun can make up for the deceit that underlies an otherwise ‘harmless’ plot. Marriage is not about the wedding, but commitment. Friendship is not based on condition, but care. Finally, femininity is not the sacrifice of freedom, but the proper use of it for the glory of God.
Written by: Phylicia Duran. For more articles and thoughts from Phylicia check out her blog quillandinkwell.com
