Bachelorette
by Rebecca Hillary
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson and James Marsden. Written by Leslye Headland. Directed by Leslye Headland. Produced by Matthew Vose Campbell, Brice Dal Farra, Claude Dal Farra, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrel, Chris Henchy, Carly Hugo, Brian Keady, Adam McKay, Lauren Munsch, Matthew Parker and Paul Prokop.
Ever wonder what it would be like to see the girl's version of The Hangover? Well, if you were thinking this was it, you'll probably be incredibly disappointed because, despite its best efforts, Bachelorette is definitely not that movie. Instead, it's a buddy movie where none of the characters are actual "buddies", but catty backstabbing wenches who never show compassion or any real sign of even liking each other. And while it attempts to show that girls can be edgy and wreckless, too, it fails to have any fun with the material at all, especially after the mildly funny first half of the movie, and has an underlying serious tone that makes everything they do feel awkward and mean-spirited with an ending that is as lackluster as it is thematically perplexing.
Becky (Wilson) is getting married and her oldest best friends, Katie (Fisher), Jenna (Caplan) and Regan (Dunst) rise to the occasion and come into town to stand up in her wedding, though we're not sure why since all they do is say hateful things behind her back (calling her "pig face" and wondering how she's getting married if she's so fat) and try to publicly humiliate her any chance they can get. A scene in which the three of them rip Becky's wedding dress trying to take a picture of Katie and Regan together fitting inside it to upload onto the internet is what drives the story and causes them to embark on a self-destructive venture around New York City involving lots of alcohol, lots of cocaine and lots of sex.
If Jenna, Regan and Katie are supposed to represent real women and real friendships, we are in big trouble – I don't think any of these characters has one redeeming or genuine quality even after the best efforts of a truly talented cast. So, if the film's intention was to go Mean Girls-style and cast a negative light on a ridiculous but real power dynamic that so many girls fall into, it failed miserably and only further perpetuated terrible female stereotypes (all girls hate each other and are inherently selfish and insane) that most girl movies are working so hard to break out of. —Rebecca Hillary
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