Kiss the Bride (2002 film)

Kiss the Bride
DVD cover
Directed byVanessa Parise
Written byVanessa Parise
Produced byVanessa Parise
Marco Derhy
Jordan Gertner
StarringAmanda Detmer
Sean Patrick Flanery
Brooke Langton
Monet Mazur
Alyssa Milano
Production
companies
Empera Pictures
Imageworks Entertainment International
Replay Pictures
Distributed byMGM Home Entertainment
Release date
Running time
89 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Kiss the Bride is a 2002 American romantic comedy drama film about an Italian family, directed by Vanessa Parise.[1] The film takes place in Parise's hometown of Westerly, Rhode Island.[1] The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Starfish Award.[1] It was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment.

Plot

The story centers around a traditional Italian-American family and four daughters, each of whom have completely different personalities. Danni, the first of the sisters who will walk down the aisle, is a demure virgin who longs to stay close to home and her parents. Niki, Toni and Chrissy return home for the long overdue family reunion, which ultimately turns into a contest of who can one-up the other. Niki, a TV actress, brings along her manager boyfriend, the lesbian Toni is accompanied by her biker girlfriend Amy, and Chrissy, a Wall Street stockbroker who is too busy for a boyfriend, brings her brand new Porsche. The sisters, who subconsciously long for the approval and love of their domineering father, renew old familial wounds as they bring up feelings of overachievement and insecurity.

Cast

Reception

Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote the film feels "less a celebration of warm, touchy-feely Italian culture than an unoriginal putdown of contemporary American (read New York/Hollywood) mores".[1] He added that the acting is uneven; though he singled out Shire, Young, Flanery, and Milano. Of the latter, he wrote, "Milano as a lesbian in love with Toni, effortlessly commands the screen as she tells off her lover for using her to shock the family".[1]

David Nusair or Reel Film Reviews was more positive, writing "Parise does such an effective job of establishing all these characters" and that she is "able to make all of this seem fresh, despite the fact that this is the sort of tale we've seen countless times before (ie My Big Fat Greek Wedding)".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Scheib, Ronnie (October 23, 2002). "Kiss the Bride". Variety. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Nusair, David. "Kiss the Bride". reelfilm.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.