Who doesn’t look forward to their wedding day? All that planning and preparation leading up to the big day. The invitations, the dress, the venue, the food, the gifts, the expense. By the time the big day arrives, couples are more than ready to get on with the proceedings and move on to the honeymoon. But what happens when just before the wedding, on April Fool’s Day, the bride decides to prank her soon-to-be husband and tell him there’s not going to be a wedding. The spark is done. The wedding is off. Now, most potential grooms may take that in stride and laugh it off and see it for the joke it was intended to be. But what if he breathes a sigh of relief and is actually glad the bride has cancelled everything because he no longer wants to marry her. Ouch. Well, that’s just the set up that writer/director Jonathan Smith gives us with BATSH*T BRIDE.
Heather Papadopoulos is an obsessive-compulsive event planner. No detail too big or too small. No perfection unattainable. So just imagine how immersed she is in planning her own wedding, especially when daddy is footing the bill and money is no object. Propelling Heather into the outer limits with this wedding, however, is the idea that her mother had a perfect wedding and now so must she – only better. Bryce is a calm counter to the serious career-obsessed and self-absorbed Heather, and gives her all the latitude in the world all the time, but with her wedding planning, she has achieved new levels of obsession, all to the detriment of her friends, family, and Bryce.
Needled by her BFFs about her wedding perfection obsession, especially after taking over her own bachelorette party to make certain it’s exactly what she wants while making demand upon demand on the girls, Heather decides to prove them wrong and comes up with the ideal prank – on April Fool’s Day she is going to tell Bryce the wedding is off. Of course, Heather doesn’t expect Bryce to breathe a sigh of relief when she cancels the wedding. And no argument or explanation is going to convince Bryce that Heather is joking and the wedding is really on. He really doesn’t want to marry her. So what’s a bride to do? Proceed with her wedding plans, of course; and in the process, give new meaning to the term “bridezilla.”
Naturally, comedy ensues with one hair-brained antic after another as Heather continues with her planned trip to the altar while not telling her ever-growing assemblage of family members that Bryce doesn’t want to marry her. But the question looms ever larger, will she be able to change his mind and win him back?
The success of BATSH*T BRIDE relies heavily on strong performances, most notably that of Meghan Falcone as Heather. The first half of the film is high energy fun, fueled by a frenetic, spot-on, rapid-fire Roz Russell “His Girl Friday” patter by Falcone. She is brilliant. Bearing a strong resemblance to Lake Bell both in appearance and in her comedic tone, Falcone is perfection in her commanding and demanding bitchiness. Smith, who does triple duty as writer/director and editor, mirrors Falcone’s energy and rapid cadence of Heather physically and vocally and moves the film along at a clip to the point that we can feel the wedding frenzy.
Thanks to well-drawn characters and supporting performances, there is no extraneous descriptive exposition. We see the characters unfold before us and immediately recognize them in the grand scheme of Heather’s life and this story. Josh Covitt brings a wonderful calmness and affability to Bryce, which is only compounded by his Covitt’s chemistry with Falcone.
Particularly enjoyable is the dichotomy of Heather’s three besties with their very cerebral and intelligent careers contrasted with the idiocy we hear come out of their mouths. Shaina Vorspan and Kayla Conroy fill the bill as Cindy and Gretchen, respectively, while Alicia Giangrisostomi shines as BFF attorney Becky thanks to her skill at timing one-liners. This just fuels the funny. A character actor it’s always a pleasure to see is Patrick Collins who pops in as Heather’s father.
A standout performance comes from Chad Anthony Miller who appears as a priest who performs another wedding taking place, but not without hilarious wedding interruptus. Always a hoot to see are Miller’s facial expressions and here is no different.
While the premise is original and entertaining and the antics are laugh-out-loud funny, there are a few loose ends that would have benefitted from further development; for example, Heather’s office co-workers who fall away after she mouths off at them (rather inconsequential in the overall storyline), more exploration and context for Heather’s narcissism and how someone as cool, calm and collected as Bryce would be with her in the first place. There’s no doubt that Smith knows understands comedy, one-liners, and timing with its editing, but I’d like to see him push the envelope with a bit more depth with his next outing.
Smith has crafted a film that is light and bright both tonally and visually. Cinematographer Jason Merrin’s lighting and lensing is beautiful. Chaptered by design with title cards showing us the passage of time by day, we are able to track much of the changing emotional beats through the cinematography and editing. With Day One being April 1st and kicking off the film, by April 3 the tone shifts as pace is slowed, the camera lingers. A key sequence involving a life lesson for Heather takes its time to unfold. Even Heather’s clothing shifts from a professional form-fitting dark-colored dress to casual loose pants, a light-colored shirt, and a pair of Keds on her feet. It’s a lovely visual that speaks to an emotional crossroads of realization and possible redemption.
As Heather’s journey continues, so does the visual beauty, becoming almost pastoral with its calm, metaphorically mirroring Bryce’s persona. Merrin’s frames widen out and Smith’s editing loses the rapidity and edge of the first half of the film. Nice structural design by Smith as the camera opens up, pace slows, and it’s time for reflection and thought. But comedic hilarity returns in the third act thanks to covert wedding operations for another bride, albeit with softer notes than those for a narcissistic Heather planning her own wedding. This fits beautifully with the emotional arc and growth of Heather. It’s a perfect blend between the sobering moments in the second act with the high energy demands of act one.
Kudos to Smith and Merrin with not only finding the perfect wedding location but showcasing it visually and metaphorically. White on white church interior dissolving into bright white light streaming through windows and then dissolving into a white on white reception hall with a touch of ice blue which then opens up outside with a brilliant sun, blue sky, and the calm of gently lapping water. Perfect for any bride.
Icing on the cake is Mike Pettry’s score. Again, light in tone, elevating the comedy and the sweetness at its core.
BATSH*T BRIDE is a perfect balance between comedy and heartfelt charm that makes you smile.
Written and Directed by Jonathan Smith
Cast: Meghan Falcone, Josh Covitt, Chad Anthony Miller, Jonny Svarzbein, Alicia Giangrisostomi, Shaina Vorspan, Kayla Conroy, Patrick Collins
by debbie elias, 01/28/2020
