'BRIDE HARD' REVIEW: Something Resembling A Movie [2/5]
Fill in the Blanks
[Rating 2/5] - dir. Simon West - 2025 - United States - Rated R - 1h 45m - Action/Comedy
That Shelf originally published this review.
A talented cast. A talented premise… Murdered in cold blood by an editor let off their leash, and a screenwriter mightily passionate about exposition, and only exposition.
I was sincerely excited to watch this film. There are many recognizable, bankable comedic actors in Bride Hard, a misformed attempt at an action-comedy, pairing Bridesmaids interpersonal conflict with Spy hijinks and-or farce (you decide — so much of this is up to us).
Rebel Wilson stars as Sam, a talented if somewhat disorganized spy part of a small and elite team (think the Mission Impossible crew). Anna Camp (who starred in Pitch Perfect movie series with Wilson) supports as Sam’s best friend. Camp’s getting married. Wilson is maid-of-honour, and in charge of the bachelorette, but she can never spare enough time for the role, busy saving the world and so on. This is emblematic of their relationship over the last X number of years, we learn. If Wilson can’t show up for Camp, how will their friendship survive? And all this while Wilson needs to save the world.
In an effort to make it up to Camp, Wilson really tries to go above and beyond at the wedding itself. Unfortunately, terrorists with plans to take the ceremy hostage throw a wrench in that.
You get it. You can fill in the blanks of what might happen.
And you’d have to. You’d have to fill in the blanks.
Bridge moments do not exist here. There are skips, like scratches on a CD. The patchwork is noticeable.
What do I mean by “bridge moments”? I mean the stuff that holds everything else together. It may be boring. It may just be a support beam. But it’s there for a good reason. Sometimes we just gotta see the characters traveling from place A to place B. Sometimes we just gotta see a shot stay for five seconds instead of one. I don’t have a better answer than: It’s a vibe thing. And the vibes are off.
Somewhere, on some hundred-terabyte external harddrive, in some drawer, in the recesses of a home in the Hollywood Hills, are the files available to re-edit this botched project and patch back in the necessary bridge moments.
I want to see this cast in a better movie.
Bride Hard squanders decent action setpieces and the occasional laugh-out-loud one-liner ("You two grew up in a... neighbourhood...?") by prioritizing brevity above all else.
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Bride Hard is in theatres now.
[Rating 2/5] - dir. Simon West - 2025 - United States - Rated R - 1h 45m - Action/Comedy