Kiss the Bride (2007)

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.

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)****

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.

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.