74
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe Bridesmaid goes slack at times, as it follows multiple Magimel family subplots, but as always, Chabrol stages everything with an elegant economy, moving the camera in short bursts that direct the eye but don't distract. Still, the movie would fail completely if not for the dynamic between the two leads.
- 80The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisDeceptively understated and finally ferocious.
- 80The New RepublicStanley KauffmannThe New RepublicStanley KauffmannChabrol insured the power of this dangerously difficult film with perfect casting. The two lovers are so well acted that their story--and its finish--are incredibly convincing.
- 75New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsThe Bridesmaid is fairly familiar Chabrol country, an exploration of the psychological undercurrent of the bourgeoisie, with heavy helpings of black comedy.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe film flawlessly glides along as bodies start piling up. The finale brings to mind another Hitchcock film, "Psycho."
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanIf The Bridesmaid is middle-drawer Chabrol, it's almost worth going to just to watch Laura Smet, a vamp of not-so-basic instinct.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettBased on the novel by Ruth Rendell, the film could do well with audiences who have a taste for creepy films about murder in the suburbs.
- 70VarietyDeborah YoungVarietyDeborah YoungAt 74, Chabrol is in full possession of his talent for elegant, understated filmmaking, though he's far from his disturbing films of the '50s and '60s.
- 70Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonChabrol sets us up, of course, which is half the fun, and the experience is a delight for lack of pomposity (his visual storytelling remains no-nonsense) as well as genre expertise.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirA prickly, twisted, mean-spirited, borderline crazy and highly seductive picture.