Kiss the Bride (2007) User Reviews

Flawed but enjoyable.

[JakeWestern · 5/10 · 25 April 2008]

This was enjoyable, if not exactly a "feature" - it looked like it was shot for TV (especially the toaster graphics for the opening credits!). I thought the script was good, but the direction was very uninteresting and static (C. Jay Cox, whose script for "Latter Days" wasn't this strong but who did well with "Sweet Home Alabama", fumbled the ball behind the camera). The acting was uniformly strong among the supporting cast and two of the three leads were quite good. Pleasant surprise? Tori Spelling was among those two. She didn't play too broad and achieved some real moments of emotional connection to her character that made you feel for Alex.

In the end, it's the small things that work best in this movie - the little human moments between characters outside of the craziness a romantic comedies conventions demand. The script could have used a polish, but overall this is an enjoyable movie that I'd be happy to catch on cable again in the future.

rather well done

[blackheart-3 · 7/10 · 7 March 2008]

so i watched this last night at a film festival and i wasn't quite sure what to expect. i've never been wowed by anything Here! network so i had my reservations. and the plot early off sounds like a "my best friends wedding" remake, and while the similarities are striking, there is such a twist to the story.

the actors work well with each other, especially amber benson and jane cho who both have small but memorable characters.

what most impressed me was how the plot would so often veer towards a predictable movie moment, and either a twist was put in, or a re-interpretation of the situation that kept it fresh. (like when alex finally finds out...). while a few critics have written it off as too light and unbelievable, i really think this is one of the better gay movies i have seen recently.

A movie about friendships and our pasts, not a movie about gay men

[deiscire · 7/10 · 21 March 2013]

Review for "Kiss the Bride" (2007 movie) Come into "Kiss the Bride" expecting a big gay romance or even a gay version of "My Best Friend's Wedding" and you're going to be disappointed. Watch it with an eye for some great one-liners (the car rental agent!), a surprisingly insightful look at relationships, and an appreciation for deep, platonic relationships and you might have a chance of liking it.

The premise: Matt (Phillip Karner) receives a wedding invitation from his long-lost, high school best friend (and first love), Ryan (James O'Shea). Imagine his shock when it turns out that Ryan's fiancé is a woman! Just how did the guy who taught Matt how to, er, orally pleasure a man (by example) end up with a woman? So of course Matt must return to his rural hometown to save Ryan from his marriage and their mutual hometown.

Already sounds like a carbon copy, right? Don't pass on this film just yet. Central to this story is the question of what 'I love you' really means and why we can't ever divorce ourselves from our history (and, really, why we shouldn't).

Over the course of the movie, we see groom-to-be Ryan and his fiancée, bride-to-be Alex (Tori Spelling) have a great, playful chemistry. Tori Spelling and James O'Shea did a good job of portraying a comfortably warm, affectionate couple that are together for the long-haul (only anxious about the wedding itself). The answer to why marriage makes them so anxious is neatly answered in a speech towards the end of the movie, which some viewers might not like (personally, I like the dramatic realization/speech delivery in this movie. Tori Spelling did a great job there and voiced a thought that I think many people have when it comes to marriage).

It is, however, the relationship between our two lead men that really drew me in. The two actors do a great job portraying the deep, deep affection (dare I say love?) that's still between the two men. I can't say too much without revealing too much, but I am proud of Ryan's character for being proud to call Matt his "first love...first everything." That their connection is transcended the normal boundaries of friendship spoke true to me.

I'll admit I'm a sucker for friendships that just go above and beyond, but I think the actors did a great job here. If that type of relationship appeals to you, then I think you'll enjoy this film quite a bit.

Not awful, but very uneven

[JohnstoneBrian · 3/10 · 28 August 2008]

As a fan of C.J.'s earlier movie, Latter Days, I really wanted to like this film.

The nicest thing I can say, however, is that it's NOT an awful film. There are some good performances, and a few funny scenes. In particular, Tori Spelling has a couple of great scenes where she's talking to her fiancé's ex-boyfriend.

Overall, though, it's pretty week. The script falls back on weird coincidences and clichéd movie moments way too often. (The main character went to Stanford on a golf scholarship, and his high school buddy doesn't even know that he plays the game?)

Most of the time, this movie had no idea where it was going or what it was trying to say. There are a lot of scenes that are mildly cute, but ultimately turn out to be a waste of time. And you could easily cut half the characters from the film without losing anything.

Still, for all it's faults, I would have to say that this is one of the better gay films of recent years. Which says a lot about how bad most gay films are.

I'm hoping C.J.'s next film will be better.

Wow...as in "Wow, that was really bad and hard to watch".

[pebsdad · 3/10 · 20 May 2008]

This is an oft-used line, but it really sums up this movie..."If this is the current state of gay cinema, then we're in real trouble". I saw this film at SIFF because of the high IMDb rating (7.6) and if there was ever a case of vote stacking on IMDb, then this is it. Just watch the number fall over the release weeks of the film.

Easy plot...Boy finds out his high school ex (boyfriend) is getting married to a female friend of theirs so he goes back to his old hometown (still carrying a 10 year old torch) to see what happened.

First off, I liked "Latter Days", the director's last feature, despite its cookie cutter characters and plot contrivances, but you're supposed to become a better director with each subsequent release. I don't know how you get horrible supporting performances out of so many TV veterans (Robert Foxworth, Joanna Cassidy, Tori Spelling), but somehow he managed to. The writing was Lifetime Network quality (way back when they were REALLY bad) and the situations were unbelievable AND uncomfortably hard to watch. I kept reaching for a non-existent remote control to fast forward, but ultimately made myself stay to the end, hoping for a decent ending. Ugh...no. Even the gratuitous male nudity that popped up during the movie was so blatantly gratuitous that it seemed to be there to keep people in their seats.

To be fair...the 2 leads, especially in the gratuitous nude scenes, were gorgeous. There was also a real sweetness between them during their rekindling friendship as they uncovered how they went separate ways. And the film looked great...good quality and color saturation for an independent film.

How is it that network TV can give week after week of great, entertaining weekly episodes (Like "Ugly Betty", "Desp. Housewives", etc.), but so many feature releases in similar genres can be as bad as this?

One Word: AWESOME!

[taxi-go · 10/10 · 10 June 2008]

KISS THE BRIDE is simply one of the most outstanding romantic comedies released in 2007. It will surely bring back memories... memories that one may cherish or regret for the rest of his life. I am damn sure that a lot of normal straight guys can relate with the film except those who are in total denial for whatever reason they may have, and of course those who unfortunately didn't have the chance of experimenting during their adolescence.

Surely the film has some flaws but forgettable ones that they definitely will not ruin your viewing pleasure. The portrayals of Tori, Philipp and James are just amazing. The emotions that run amongst the three particularly during the confrontation were realistically touching. The supporting cast also made sure that their contributions added more colours to the feature and even some unimportant scenes become as important as they added certain flavours that tickle the viewers and at the same time make some uncertainties certain.

Watch out for a roller-coaster ride in the end from approximately 01:25!

Kiss this film goodbye.

[jamesmccormack · 2/10 · 5 July 2008]

Wow, Kiss the Bride wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either. It sure was no "Later Day Saints." The movie sags in the center...perhaps cutting out about 30 minutes would have made a more enjoyable film. But the film gets bogged down again and again by annoying subplots and throw away scenes - the whole gold outing sequence comes to mind.

Even though "Kiss" was made for theatrical release, it looks and sounds more like a made for TV movie. Every scene is lighted like a department store. So many characters are so throw away.

And dear Tori is actually a pleasant surprise. She steals every scene she appears in.

One scene really annoyed me. It was the rehearsal dinner in this larger room with scores of tables - all decorated. But only 5 or 6 people in a room for 250! Where did everyone go.

Gay cinema has sunk to a new low...but not as low as the horrible films being produced and shown on the Here! Channel.

My Best Friend's Bride's Kiss Part Two

[thesar-2 · 4/10 · 7 June 2010]

In Kiss the Bride, they make references to My Best Friend's Wedding. Oh, if only it was that good of a movie.

At least they acknowledged the obvious copy of the much better script. I'll give 'em kudos for that. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was choppy, poorly edited, poorly acted and predictable. That said, it was still a well-mannered, well-meaning light rom-com romance and if the evening's free, it's worth a shot.

Much like the foresaid My Best Friend's Wedding, (and let me throw in a little bit of the absolute ferior Big Eden) a gay male returns home only to find his previous boyhood crush marrying (gasp!) a female. Will he become friends with the bride-to-be? Will he win over the heart of the previous fling? (And yes, it involves prior sexual child-experiences.) Will any of this be original or suspenseful? In all honesty, the finale at the wedding is pretty shocking and enjoyable. It makes up solely for all that's been done previously. So, even if you're turned off by the ho-hum premise and mid-section, stay for the closing. Even the shocking twists from resident fag-hag Tori Spelling.

The jokes are…just okay. The homophobia tolerable. But some of the out-there scenes, such as what the title suggests and the ignorance of the characters were a tab bit off kilt. The mistakes were well known – they mention the hometown in Arizona, but then switch it to New Mexico, for whatever reason. And as much as I'm not a Tori fan, she really does steal every scene she's in and is the most enjoyable character in the movie.

Overall, again, it's worth a shot. I liked how people who are really what they are, gay/straight/whatever, stay that way. Otherwise, people might confuse the "lifestyle" as a "choice." And we know better. Right?

What a awful movie!

[suavejock2 · 1/10 · 30 May 2008]

What can I say? This was one awful movie to watch. I am normally not very critical of gay cinema in general, due to the fact that most are usually low-budget, but this really pushed me up the wall. I mean, is this was has happened to gay cinema? Haven't gay producers and directors learned anything from Gus Van Saints and Ang Lee's films?. Just having to sit through the entire movie was like being in a dentist's chair and having my wisdom teeth extracted. I kept on praying for moments where I would feel any sort of connection with any of the characters, but that never happened. Most of the characters performances were just not very convincing. It was like watching one of those badly produced made-for-TV movie specials on a local access TV stations. I cannot tell u how greatly disappointed It was seeing this film after being a big fan of Tori Spellings other works and the directors last work on "Latter day saints." It was definitely not worth the wait. Definitely, a few hours of my life I will never get back and will certainly not be purchasing it on DVD.

this film is again all my hope

[tranngocthanhtu · 4/10 · 14 August 2020]

I love wedding, i love gay, and i love a happy ending, and this film non of that, this film is exactly "i'm not gay, just my boyfriend is gay, and i will married a girl after all", i hate it, i was okay with the character, i love Alex, she so cute, but i'm not see a gay film to be have to see a hetero wedding, nooo. And i want a wedding, not a commitment!!!!

A film as good as "Shelter" this one ain't.................

[arizona-philm-phan · 13 August 2008]

I'll admit that on first watching I was mightily disappointed, particularly in view of what I consider C. Jay Cox's much better, gay-related work, "Latter Days." However, repeat viewings of "Bride" have resulted in my initial impression taking on a somewhat more positive spin, as you may gather from other of my comments, below. In this work it seems the director and writer are trying to tell.....no, make that show.....us that sexual preference (if not also orientation), is not just a black or white, a yes or no thing; rather it's a continuum and can change over time. Still, even if you consider that theme to be well handled, in no way does this production come close to achieving/maintaining the high interest levels being attained by that other recent gay film, "Shelter" directed by newcomer Jonah Markowitz.}

If by now you're wondering, this movie......if it's anything......is a "seriocomedy." It is NOT a gay romance (although at an earlier, teenage time in our two male leads' lives, there might have been the beginning spark of romance----no, come to think of it, even then it was more likely to have been just youthful lust). So, with that out of the way, you might ask how this production works as a semi-serious comedy. On this, all I can say is that in such a genre, comic timing is everything, and I suspect that comedy performance has not been the background of either of our male leads (but older, supporting cast members Tess Harper and Robert Foxworth keep the chuckles coming fairly reliably). Karner / O'Shea almost get it on the button at times.......but a successful comedy needs more than "almost" when it comes to timing. Still, what Philipp Karner (Matt) does do well is deliver sincerity---and you're going to like him for that. And then there's James O'Shea (Ryan), who effectively gives us a "confused sweetness"---you'll fall for that as well. Oh, yes, and he also "puts out" for us in the form of a good looking face and an excellent body (and er, ahem, that includes a great ass and a nice package---more than enough there to have shared with a Karner, who could stand a "boost" in those departments). As for Spelling, I'm not a "Tori-fan," but she does come across as miles better here than she was in another gay film, "Trick." Along with secondary character actress Amber Benson, we also have Steve Sandvoss, and both are "carryovers" from "Latter Days." Sandvoss' character and a "buddy," played by Michael Medico, are given fairly frightful parts in the opinion of this viewer. Even so, it's too bad that whoever put together/approved the Cast List for the film's Closing Credits didn't know enough to realize they'd gotten these two player's character names reversed (that must make one feel good as an actor).

One last point, for those of you who might keep up with such things: Karner does get from O'Shea a lot better lip-locks (both in quality and number) than does Spelling. How about them apples?

PS--This DVD won't get tossed out in the trash (as some have been)----but it's hardly likely to make it onto this viewer's "Addictive" list*** either.

***Other films which are habit formers: "Just a Question of Love" / "Brokeback Mountain" / "Boy Culture" / "All Over the Guy" / "Second Skin (Unrated Version)" / "The Man I Love" / "The Man of My Life" (maybe for older viewers) / "Oh Happy Day" (you just gotta take in this one) / "Fashion Victims" (only if you've got a Region 2 DVD player)

****

THEY LIVE HAPPILY (BUT NOT GAILY) EVER AFTER.

[raymarsh-51084 · 2/10 · 23 August 2022]

Not a very convincing movie and not one with an ending that would generally please either a Gay or Straight audience. Acting is OK, but characterization bordered on caricature at points. I wish that I hadn't watched it. You can get some really great LGBT themed movies on Youtube , (free to watch) like "Shelter" or "Apart From High" or "Juste une question d'amour", but "Kiss The Bride" is not notable in my opinion... Another user here - who reviewed this movie a while ago - wrote words to the effect that if this if the state of modern Gay cinema, then we are in trouble. And I agree 100%.