The Wasteland Reviewer

Bride Hard (2025) Written Review

What is the worst possible thing that could happen at a wedding? There is so much anxiety that is swirling around a bride leading into her big day. There are so many details that can possibly go wrong. You cannot blame a bride for getting stressed the way she does. But the kicker would be a band of mercenaries holding up your wedding to steal your future in-law’s fortune. Then your childhood friend turns out to be a talented spy who is on the case to save the day. This is certainly a wild premise for a movie and filled with plenty of potential from a comedy and action standpoint (if done right). That is the set up for the new action/comedy from writer Shaina Steinberg, Bride Hard. 

Does Simon West (the director of Con Air) deliver from behind the camera? Unfortunately, Bride Hard is a serious let down from an action standpoint. Whenever there is hand-to-hand combat, it looks atrocious. First, you have so many edits present to hide all the stunt work (which is completely obvious). Second, the editing is so choppy, and the camera is so shaky that it is hard to see what is going on. There are fleeting moments of wild, over-the-top weaponry in use (which is quite fun) but most of it is rough to see and enjoy. Then you have plenty of action beats that rely on guns and explosions, but they look off-putting and fake. The CGI bullets and gunfire look like a cartoon which does not look real or threatening for a live action film. The whole crew of evil mercenaries is led by a boring and unfortunately underwhelming turn from reliable character actor Stephen Dorff who is given literally only expositional dialogue to speak. 

Does the comedy of the film work at least? For the most part, this is a funny film. The humor is certainly over-the-top and ridiculous (which might not be everyone’s cup of tea) but certainly got the audience laughing quite a few times. The dynamic between the central crew of the wedding party works well. There are plenty of cliches but some of these characters just have so much personality. The sassy quips and zingers sent between this crew are consistently funny with the over-the-top nature and camp of the film. The central dynamic between Rebel Wilson’s childhood friend and secret spy, Anna Camp’s bride, and Anna Chlumsky’s future sister in-law and control freak. There are even a few fun running gags with the two other bridesmaids (Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Gigi Zumbado). Unfortunately, everything that has to do with the heist and spy elements of Wilson’s character leave so much more to be desired. 

Does the cast at least do some heavy lifting? Wilson is the obvious big selling point, and she certainly is a hit-or-miss performer for many. The film gives her a lot of action to work with but unfortunately, so much of it is hard to see. Her humor is leveraged more for quieter quips thrown around and Wilson does fine. Camp is a big cheerful personality who brings good energy to the film and is a needed charming element to the film. Chlumsky creates a character who is so frustrating and annoying in the best ways for the story. Her line delivery and facial expressions sell all the antagonistic behavior of her character. Randolph has the presence, charisma, and sexual confidence to be a towering force of comedy in this film. Zumbado is a fun and engaging addition as well. Sherry Cola has a smaller role as Wilson’s spy handler, and she makes a fun impact in the film. Sam Huntington brings an earnestness to the groom, who has a fun and goofy attitude that works for the film. Justin Hartley unfortunately just doesn’t click as well for a film that gives him a lot of face time. Like mentioned before, talented character actor Dorff is just completely wasted with a flat character. 

Is Bride Hard a worthwhile action comedy at the theater? Unfortunately, only one of those parts works at all. The action elements of this film are just plain awful. West’s approach to the filmmaking in this film is just clunky and hard to watch. The effects look like a tiny micro-budget film. The humor has some legs thanks to this charismatic cast. But not enough of it works to make this film float. You might get some chuckles but that is not enough to make this a quality action comedy.