Bruce Bennett Short Bio

Bruce Bennett

Bruce Bennett has been the primary contributor to Mad About Movies since it began in 2003. He is an award winning film and theater critic who, since 2000, has been writing a weekly column in The Spectrum daily newspaper in southern Utah as well as serving as a contributing editor of “The Independent,” a monthly entertainment magazine. He is also the co-host of “Film Fanatics” a movie review show which earned a Telly in 2009. Bruce is also a featured contributor at: RottenTomatoes.com

His motto: "I see bad movies so you don't have to."

Bride Wars

Just say “I don’t” to “Bride Wars”

There is still time to enjoy some of the Oscar-worthy leftovers from 2008 and that’s a very good thing. If “Bride Wars” is any indication of what’s to come, please let last year linger a little longer. January has a tendency to be the clearance month for the movie industry anyway but even the normally sunny stars of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway can’t save their current project.

Meet Liv (Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway) BFF who growing up had always dreamed of swanky weddings at the Plaza Hotel. They manage to get engage at the same time but a mix-up causes their wedding planner (Candice Bergen) to schedule the weddings on the same date. Since neither will change their dates, the BFF’s turn into Bridezillas exacting sabotage on the other in what the preview promises to be a laugh-a-minute romp. Don’t hold your “baby’s” breath.

An hour in and aside from the few chuckles prompted by the scenes already viewed in the preview, we’re all still waiting for the comedy to arrive. We’ve been left at the altar of entertainment by a film that had no business leaving the edit room.

“Bride Wars,” is at its best when the two BFF realize what jerks they have been and come to a partially genuine self-awakening of their errors. Hathaway especially, with her Oreo-cookie sized eyes, provides some credible depth to her otherwise cardboard character. Guys forced to see this film will find her hot pants the lone memorable souvenir.

The once adorable Hudson’s star is fading fast and she’s not helped here by her over-the-brow bangs and heavy eye-liner. When did looking like a Pekingese become fashionable?

Perhaps some of our female readers will chime in on the potential for truth in a story about BFF who turn on each other. No doubt this isn’t all make-believe. But someone will have to explain why it is impossible to change wedding dates even after wedding invitations go out (what, no e-mail? No Facebook, No revised invitation?) And why not go ahead and have the weddings on the same day, don’t BFF share everything?

Parents take note: As strange as this sounds, this is a hard “PG” film with a strip club scene, and alcohol drinking in almost every scene.

Grade: C-
Rated PG for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior.

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