Bride Wars (2009)
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Two childhood best friends become sworn enemies when they are forced to share the same wedding date and venue.
The story
Emma Allan and Olivia "Liv" Lerner are longtime best friends who have dreamed of holding their own June weddings at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel. Liv is a successful attorney who strives for perfection, while Emma is a middle school teacher who often neglects her own needs. When both women discover they have been mistakenly booked for the same wedding date on June 6, they initially try to find a compromise. However, after a series of passive-aggressive interactions and a refusal to switch dates with a third bride, the two friends declare war on each other, leading to a series of retaliatory sabotages.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Emma Allan and Olivia "Liv" Lerner are longtime best friends who both dream of holding their weddings at the Plaza Hotel. Liv is a perfectionist attorney, and Emma is a selfless middle school teacher. When they discover they are both booked for June 6, they enter a bitter rivalry. They attempt to sabotage each other's plans: Liv changes Emma's dance instructor and makes her spray tan bright orange, while Emma sends Liv candy to ruin her dress and changes her hair dye to blue. During the wedding day, Emma's father gives Liv his blessing, leading her to replace a prank DVD with a sentimental one. At the ceremony, Emma sees the DVD and tackles Liv. During the struggle, Emma tells Fletcher she is not the person he fell in love with and calls off the wedding. Liv's wedding proceeds, and Emma becomes her maid of honor. A year later, it is revealed Emma married Liv's brother Nate. The friends discover they are both pregnant with the same due date.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Winick
- Writers
- Greg DePaul · screenplay; Casey Wilson · screenplay; June Diane Raphael · screenplay; Greg DePaul · story
- Cast and characters
- Kate Hudson · Olivia "Liv" Lerner; Anne Hathaway · Emma Allan; Kristen Johnston · Deb Delgado; Bryan Greenberg · Nathan "Nate" Lerner; Candice Bergen · Marion St. Claire; Chris Pratt · Fletcher Flemson; Steve Howey · Daniel Williams; John Pankow · John Allan
- Genres
- romantic comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- female friendship; wedding rivalry; self-discovery
- Tone and mood
- comedic; hostile
- Premise and plot tags
- revenge; buddy comedy; wedding
- Source material / true-story basis
- original screenplay
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics, with some calling it 'insufferable' and 'dopey,' though it received an 'A–' average grade from audiences on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 10% · scale: approval rating · review count: 144; Metacritic · score: 24 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Awards · Choice Comedy Movie Actress · 2009 · Won; Teen Choice Award · Choice Comedy Movie Actress · 2009 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- A Chinese remake of the same name was released in 2015.; The film was nominated for being one of the top 10 worst chick flicks ever made by Time.; The score was recorded with a 77-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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