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THE MOVIE: Bride Wars

THE STARS:
Kate Hudson • Anne Hathaway
DIRECTOR: Gary Winick

THE CONCEPT:
Liv (Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway) are best friends who since childhood have planned every detail of their respective weddings, including both being held at the Plaza Hotel In New York City. But when a clerical error books their weddings on the same day, Liv and Emma’s lifelong friendship is put to the ultimate test…

U.S. RELEASE: January 9 2009, Nationwide • Rated: PG

THE COMMENTS:

KATE HUDSON on why there is so much emphasis on a woman getting married these days:
“We love Love. We love relationships. I would never be cynical about people wanting and being excited about that day. It’s your day to present yourself to your man, to throw this party that’s about wanting to spend the rest of your life with somebody. The idea of the ceremony is great. The reality of the ceremony becomes stressful. I think the emphasis on marriage will always be important for people, whether it’s getting hitched on the top of the Himalayas with just the two of you, or having a 300-person wedding.”

ANNE HATHAWAY:
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t know [she laughs]. I don’t know because I don’t personally feel any pressure to get married. I don’t feel it from my family, my friends or from within. I think there is something to be said about living the happiest life possible, but the only way that you can live a happy life is if you are yourself. And if you’re the sort of person that really loves the idea of being committed to someone, and having that piece of paper that says you are committed to someone, and celebrating with either a huge party or a quiet party – go for it. Be yourself.”

HUDSON:
“As the producer of the film, in developing this, I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this movie hasn’t been made before.’ The more I thought about it, I realized it’s because it’s so easy to pit women against each other and get carried away with the cattiness and the pettiness of the stereotypes of how women handle lots of situations. For me, I looked at it as a challenge. I thought, ‘This is such a great thing for women to be able to make fun of themselves.’ We are a little guilty of going a little crazy sometimes and getting stressed out. I think women are great at being self-deprecating and making fun of themselves, but we don’t get the opportunities. There aren’t many female-driven comedies. So in developing it I felt that there was a way to make a movie that is appealing to all ages of women, that doesn’t leave anybody out, and at the end of this wild, funny thing, that we can all relate to a little bit. It’s about honoring your friends and the importance of having those people in your life. It’s why we made the movie, and I hope women will appreciate that.”

HATHAWAY on her reference to this film as Estrogen Land:
“It was delightful [in Estrogen Land]. I’m really not a girly girl in the slightest. I found my best girlfriends a little bit later on in life. My best friends growing up were my brothers, and I always had a lot of guy friends, particularly gay men. So, for me to actually be around women all the time and give into the love of shoes was new for me. I always judged myself and was like, ‘Oh, that’s frivolous!’ And now, I’m just like, ‘No, there’s nothing wrong with it.’”

HUDSON:
“You didn’t learn that in The Princess Diaries? That’s the girliest movie of all time. Every little girl wants to be a girl because of that movie.”

HATHAWAY:
“I never wanted to be a princess, so I was focused on my character’s psychological torture at that time. She had to accept an identity that she wasn’t ready for. But it has been really nice to be in this movie and be around such strong female energy and to find that so liberating.”

HUDSON:
“It was an interesting time for all of us. Especially in the age we’re both in, you’re going through so many transitions and, for some reason, being around women you become empowered by your girlfriends and by other women that you learn from, which is what the movie is about, having those friendships. When you get a lot of girls in one room, watch out. It’s a powerful energy.”

HATHAWAY on the people who might see the movie as perpetuating the negative 'Bridezilla' stereotype:
“When I got the script, that was what I anticipated, and I was really sensitive to that. I just thought, ‘There’s no point in making a movie that is reductive to women.’ So I was happy when I read the script, that the movie takes the tact that the Bridezilla thing doesn’t have a lot to do, in our movie, with actually getting what you want and being the center of attention. That’s the myth that plays into my character’s consciousness. But, what it actually does is bring her to a new place of freedom, where she’s admitting to herself that she wants more for herself and she wants better for herself. And that leads her to make an incredibly difficult, but ultimately wonderful decision to take control of her life and be more present and be more demanding and to set boundaries with people, and to be stronger and more confident. So, to those people who believe we perpetuate a stereotype, I say, ‘Come to see the film. If you disagree with us, I will answer the strongly worded letter that I’m sure you will write.’”

Written by Judy Sloane. Back to top

Visit the official Bride Wars site
Images above © 20th Century Fox
Feature © 2009 Visual Imagination.
Not for reproduction.

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