With the massive hit that Bridesmaids was, there’s no doubt that comparisons will be lobbed on Leslye Headland‘s small, indie effort Bachelorette. With a seemingly similar plot and an ensemble of top Hollywood female (and male) stars, including Bridesmaids’ own Rebel Wilson, alongside Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, James Marsden and Adam Scott — who could blame one? Well, when the film premiered at Sundance this year, the response was quite different.
This wasn’t your hilarious, relatively enjoyable time at the movies. Some were mixed, but we praised this debut (full review) for taking the comedic premise and adding “an edgy twist of serious substantive issues” including “obesity, bulimia, drug addiction and suicide in a surprisingly mature fashion.” The first trailer and poster via Apple does appeal to more of the general audience crow, like most marketing, but we’re excited for a new twist on a fairly tired genre. Check it out below and read our interview with both Rebel Wilson (here) and director Leslye Headland (here).
Synopsis:
On the night before an old friend’s wedding, three frisky bridesmaids go searching for a little fun but find much more than they bargained for. With lovely Becky (Rebel Wilson) set to marry her handsome sweetheart, Dale (Hayes MacArthur), the remaining members of her high school clique reunite for one last bachelorette bacchanal in the Big Apple. Regan (Kirsten Dunst) is an overachieving, ueber-Maid of Honor who’s secretly smarting over the fact that she’s not the first to marry, while Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is a whip-smart sarcastic who’s actually a closet romantic, and Katie (Isla Fisher) is a ditzy beauty who loves the good life. But when Becky insists on keeping the bachelorette party tame, the women proceed with an after-hours celebration of their own.
The first title from The Weinstein Company VOD offshoot Radius-TWC, Bachelorette hits VOD on August, before arriving in theaters on September 7th.