Written and directed by Leslye Headland, the New York City-set Bachelorette may have roots that stretch back past 2011’s Bridesmaids, from co-writer-star Kristen Wiig and director Paul Feig. But in almost every conceivable way, shape and form this feels like a rudderless knock-off of that $288 million worldwide-grossing smash hit. Self-consciously raunchy and simply more loud and annoying than funny and insightful, Bachelorette serves as ample evidence that women can do stupid and crude as well as men, if pushed to it.
When Becky (Rebel Wilson) announces her engagement, it stings old high school friend Regan (Kirsten Dunst), an over-achieving, career-driven bitch-on-wheels, but she nonetheless pledges to handle all the wedding planning. The nuptials also reunite Regan with her two other best friends from adolescence — the sarcastic if somewhat self-destructive Gena (Lizzy Caplan), wounded by an unresolved relationship with an ex, Clyde (Adam Scott); and Katie (Isla Fisher), a ditzy party girl and cocaine fiend who loves the good life. Though Becky insists on keeping the bachelorette party low-key, Regan finds her interest caught by another member of the wedding party, Trevor (James Marsden). Much carousing and debauchery ensues, along with a tie-it-together sub-plot about repairing much inadvertent damage to Becky’s dress.
Bachelorette had its premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, which is a bit dispiriting to think about — the fact that some truly independent and undiscovered filmmakers got a rejection slip merely so that this slapdash vehicle, populated with recognizable faces, could bring a bunch of stars to Park City, Utah. The movie is apparently adapted from Headland’s own stageplay, but its willful bawdiness (slang like “cuntgina” is tossed around, and Gena’s outgoing cell phone message chirps, “Eat a dick!”) feels less rooted in character than some fantasy, gender-flipped construct — a women’s studies paper on the subversion of heretofore historically masculine bonding through lewdness.
A few of Headland’s referential riffs connect because of their specificity — analogies to Fast Times at Ridgemont High characters, Gena and Clyde’s shared recollection through the prism of an old pop song, and the name-checking of a somewhat obscure Saturday Night Live sketch — but most of the writing just seems manic and desperate. The movie is basically After Hours cross-pollinated with The Sweetest Thing. None of the depth of insight into female friendships or romantic relationships in general present in abundance in Bridesmaids is on display in Bachelorette. It’s just pointless vulgarity, peppered with some one-liners and channeled through showy, phony characters.
Then there is the acting, which is also problematic. Wilson (a scene-stealer in Bridesmaids, as Wiig’s roommate) generally acquits herself, and Caplan — getting to showcase a more super-charged style than typical — is still a delightful screen presence, finding ways to work in sly bits here and there. Fisher and Dunst, however, deliver shrill, gaudy performances largely devoid of recognizable human traits. One merely wants this terrible Bachelorette party to be over, so that one doesn’t have to see them again. For the full, original review, from ShockYa, click here. (Weinstein Company/Radius, R, 87 minutes)
Daily Archives: September 6, 2012
Touchback (Blu-ray)
In the loose tradition of tales of sports uplift like Field of Dreams and Angels in the Outfield, Touchback tells the story of an ex-high school football star who gets another crack at glory. But it’s really only interesting in that it stars Brian Presley, who became something of an Internet sensation earlier this year when he was outed by a model, Melissa Stetten, for allegedly drinking and trying to hit on her during a cross-country flight. No biggie, right? No harm, no foul. Well… Presley is a married man, Evangelical Christian, and a guy who’s made a public deal out of his sobriety. Whoops. So there’s that.
Oh, but… the movie itself, right? Twenty years removed from ripping up his knee in a state championship game, small town farmer and family man Scott Murphy (Presley) is struggling to support his wife Macy (Melanie Lynskey) and their two young daughters. Presented with a unique opportunity to revisit his glory days but also tempted by his old high school flame (Sarah Wright), Scott turns to his old mentor, Coach Hand (Kurt Russell), for advice and guidance.
Location filming (in Ohio and Michigan) gives the movie a bit of nice production value, but Friday Night Lights (both the movie and the TV show) mined similar terrain much more effectively. The lines of narrative conflict in writer-director Don Handfield’s movie are obvious and smooth; full of homilies, this is cinema as a little comfort-laden snack cake. The public-private contrast of Presley-as-Scott and then the story (whatever really happened) of his run-in with the tart, witty Stetten is the only thing that gives Touchback any pop or value, just because of its amusing, extra-textual contrast.
Housed in a typical case, Touchback comes to home video in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, stored in the typical slimline Blu-ray case. The video presentation is a 1080p, 1.78:1 non-anamorphic transfer, free of grain or edge enhancement issues. Audio comes by way of a TrueHD 5.1 surround sound track, with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles as well. Bonus features consist of a feature-length audio commentary track with Presley and Handfield, as well as a threadbare, six-minute making-of featurette. It’s a shrug and a wash, really, these back-slapping inclusions. I’m sure Stetten’s audio commentary track to this would be the bomb, though; she should record one and offer it up for complementary sale via her own website. After all, she already crushes impressions. To purchase the Blu-ray via Amazon, click here. C- (Movie) C+ (Disc)