Bride WarsMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 24 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
12 OK for kids 12+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    If you came to see two pretty girls in wedding dresses wrestle, you won't be disappointed. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Bride Wars pretends to be a satire of wedding mania, but since there's virtually nothing else to the movie, the satire comes depressingly close to endorsement. Read full review

  • 50
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Bride Wars is pretty thin soup. The characters have no depth or personality, no quirks or complications, no conversation. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    A dopey if largely painless romantic comedy. Read full review

  • 30
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    A shrill, mechanical comedy. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times |

    The idea of a revenge comedy isn't necessarily a bad one, Bride Wars simply fails at it despite having the formidable duo of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, who in their own distinctive ways usually command the screen. Read full review

  • 25
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Bride Wars is about as funny as a cringingly awkward wedding toast. Read full review

  • 20
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Never gets off its high-concept stool long enough to explore what makes weddings so exciting and nerve-racking and treacherous. It flounders instead in juvenilia and bitchiness. Read full review

  • 20
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Predictable, lazy and as overprocessed as Kate Hudson's hair, this thoroughly joyless movie also possesses a deep nasty streak, making it loathsome when it might have been merely annoying. Read full review

  • 0
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The first big-studio movie released in 2009 has a damn fine chance of being the worst. Bride Wars isn't just chick-flick hell for guys, it should numb the skulls of moviegoers of all sexes and ages. Read full review

View more reviews for Bride Wars on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 12+ Wedding comedy amuses but has inconsistent messages.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this comedy, while mildly amusing and generally age-appropriate for older tweens (who are sure to want to see it), plays up stereotypes about women with its emphasis on shopping, consumerism, and conflict between friends. The main characters are fairly two dimensional, and they seem much more caught up in having the perfect wedding than in having a strong marriage. That said, the language is mild ("ass" and the like), and the sexuality is on the milder side (kisses, a brief glimpse at a bra and panties as a character changes) -- though a bachelorette party scene includes shirtless male strippers. There is a notable amount of drinking (tequila shots, especially), and prominently featured brands include the Plaza Hotel, Apple, Tiffany, and Vera Wang.
  • Families can talk about how the movie portrays its two main characters -- why do they make their weddings into such a big deal? Why can't they just have two separate ceremonies in different places?
  • What did trying to have a dream wedding cost Emma and Liv -- emotionally and financially? Is it a good message to send girls that everyone "deserves" a fancy wedding at the Plaza? Why are weddings such a big deal in general?
  • What role does the media play in making us think that the wedding is as important as the marriage?
  • Parents, talk with your tweens about what a wedding really signifies -- and what happens after the big day. The bachelorette party scene might also prompt a discussion about stripping. What's the appeal? Why does it play such a prominent role in movies/TV shows about bachelor and bachelorette parties?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Best friends seem more interested in their wedding days than in their actual marriages, and they let wedding planning get in the way of their friendship.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: The main characters are fairly two-dimensional and definitely play up gender stereotypes related to shopping and consumerism.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A quick pushing and shoving fight between the two brides.
  • sex false3 Sex: A couple of scenes of the actresses in hot pants or bras. Several kisses between the engaged couples, who live together and are seen sleeping/cuddling in bed. Male strippers (all shirtless) are shown in the bachelorette party scene.
  • language false2 Language: "Mother Eff" (not the whole word, just "Eff"), plus some insults like "jerk," "ass," etc.
  • consumerism false4 Consumerism: Brands featured include Apple (several Macs and iPods), Tiffany, Vera Wang, The Knot magazine, Bloomingdale's, and Dolce & Gabbana. It's also practically a commercial for The Plaza Hotel.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults drink alcohol at various wedding receptions, and the brides-to-be and their friends get drunk on tequila shots at their bachelorette party. One character seems to be tipsy most of the time.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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