Kiss the Bride

Reviewed by Stephen R. Lang

You know those movies that are perfect for going with a close friend and sitting ear to ear just so you can have a running commentary in hushed tones while still laughing loud enough to annoy the people in front of you?  This is one of those movies.  Kiss The Bride tells the story of a cynical gay magazine Editor Matt (Philipp Karner) who’s latest monthly assignment is to cover Gay Weddings.  With the help of his truly fierce Asian Lesbian Chic Assistant Stephanie (Jane Cho) they try all different scenarios but nothing will spark—as far as a convincible gay couple for print publications.  After arguing and sifting through the piles of worthless “Commitment Ceremony” and “Bonding Moments” invitations, Matt discovers a photo of his high school boyfriend Ryan (James O’Shea).   The two examine the piles of ripped up invitations to find the other half of the invite and discover, Ryan is marrying a GIRL!  

Hellbent on doing a Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding, Matt is going to try to do something he promised he would do for Ryan years ago, come back and save him.  There are wacky adventures all around like when Matt showed up at the Bachelorette Tea Party only to be accosted and presumed to be the Stripper, the vandalism to the town’s only Bridal Shop, or the Bride’s (Tori Spelling) constant need to keep her buzz going.  Within the course of the two days before the wedding you will see the walking ghosts of Matt and Ryan’s past.  For example, how things all got started, how they were, and the history that gets forgotten or rewritten over the years.  You will constantly be reminded of the need to break out of their little town in New Mexico, but what happens when only one leaves and the other stays behind? 

Kiss the Bride is brought to you by the same people that created Latter Days back in 2003. Returning actors include Steve Sandvoss who played the Mormon Boy Elder Aaron Davis but now as a “straight” Eminem-esque friend and coworker of Ryan and his Dad (Robert Foxworth).  This movie is great if you are a fan of matching actors with previous roles.  Take for example, fans of “Six Feet Under” can notice that Brenda’s parents are both in it, Robert Foxworth playing the Groom’s loser father and Joanna Cassidy playing Tori Spelling’s mother.  Does the actual stripper look familiar?  It’s Tori’s real-life husband Dean McDermott!  Finally, the very bitter and evil and Sister of the Bride (Amber Benson) played the bitter and evil ex-New Yorker struggling to be an actress-now-waitress in Latter Days.   

This movie is chock full of family guilt, character history and development, comic relief, and most importantly—resolve and self-discovery.  You will find yourself within at least one character in this movie and it is the perfect laugh movie that you can probably bring your family to—but see it with your best friend first!