Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz
Movie Length: 2 hours 6 minutes
What Mike thought: Over the course of The Bride! we’re taken through a surreal, twisted, supernatural period piece. Add in a dash of Bonnie and Clyde and you have a tremendously ambitious art film that we would normally expect from a movie studio such as Warner Brothers. There is a lot happening in this 2+ hour film; but how much of it truly resonates?
You know you’re in for a ride when the movie opens with Frankenstein’s author, Mary Shelley, giving a raving soliloquy, taking place during the movie’s 1930s era time period.
Written and Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal who demonstrates an adept hand when it comes to delivering a wildly unorthodox piece of art.
Perhaps the greatest flaw of The Bride! is the performance from lead actors, Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. Buckley, the bride, is overly animated. Her depiction of such a wide swath of characterizations often falls short, going into the realm of Harley Quinn-level theatrics.
Christian Bale’s portrayal of Frankenstein is much like Buckley’s; wildly uneven. The demand of the role requires an incredible range. At times, Bale’s tone takes on an accent akin to a New Yorker.
An underlying theme is female agency. The bride asserts herself with the male guests at a dinner party, loudly demonstrating using her voice in the crowded restaurant. Oddly enough, the catalyst for her outburst comes directly from author Mary Shelley.
The Bride! is to be applauded for its unconventional content, but this is where the delicate balance leads the film astray. The narrative coherency is choppy, and our two lead actors struggle with consistency in their portrayals. I suspect The Bride! will not be palatable to a wide audience, but will likely cement a place in cult status.
Mike’s rating: The Bride! earns a respectable 7/10.
The Bride! is now in theaters.
Are you going to see the movie? Have you already? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Threads at @theconventioncollective, or Bluesky at @theconcollective.bsky.social
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