Bride Hard has a fun idea that aims to detail a few days in the life of a secret agent who also hopes to serve as her best friend’s maid of honor at her wedding. While the concept is novel and potentially significant, the direction, writing, action, acting, and humor often fall flat quite hard. Rebel Wilson, who stars as the film’s protagonist, Sam, a secret agent who has recently fallen short as a best friend to the bride, Betsy (Anna Camp), struggles to balance her intense work with the expectations of being a maid of honor.
When she finally agrees that she cannot juggle both, she finds herself in a familiar situation when the wedding party and their guests get held captive for Betsy’s inlaw’s riches. One of the key problems in this film is that Rebel Wilson’s brand of acerbic humor often gets diluted because the director and editors choose to use some of the worst acting and comic delivery takes I have seen in a movie in a long time.
There is not too much more to add to this film’s synopsis. Sam is an intelligence operative with good skills but also doesn’t play well with others. She refuses to let go of work, even while trying to be a good maid of honor for her friend’s wedding. Though she reluctantly decides to take a break from her job, she is forced to step up when a group of violent perpetrators choose to crash the wedding and take everyone prisoner.
There are numerous issues with this movie. The filmmakers had a limited budget, and it shows, as the action sequences are often subpar, with the use of green screens being too obvious. Additionally, the fight choreography is not particularly impressive. If you are going to cast Rebel Wilson as a fighting badass, all the attitude in the world won’t convey that if the fight choreography and stunts don’t sell it.
As a comedy, there are some amusing moments, but the scenes used in the film to elicit laughs often fall flat. Punchlines are usually delivered weakly, and there are not enough good comedic moments to make this movie work as a comedy.
I also found many of the characters to be annoying or grating. Anna Camp’s portrayal of Betsy makes me wonder why, in this world, she is good friends with a supposed badass like Sam. I did enjoy the performance by Anna Chlumsky, who is supposed to be annoying, but she understood the assignment and ran with it. Another fun addition to this cast is Da”Vine Joy Randolph, who portrays Lydia, a college friend of Betsy and Sam and a member of the wedding party. Her comic gags work so well because she is such a damn good actor.
I didn’t absolutely hate Bride Hard, but, at the same time, I wouldn’t recommend it for theatrical viewing. If you like this cast, then I recommend watching it via streaming. This movie does not belong in a theater.