Tag: Rebel Wilson

Review: ‘Bride Hard,’ starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Gigi Zumbado, Stephen Dorff and Justin Hartley

June 20, 2025

by Carla Hay

Colleen Camp, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Gigi Zumbado, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson and Anna Chlumsky in “Bride Hard” (Photo by Stefania Rosini/Magenta Light Studios)

“Bride Hard”

Directed by Simon West

Culture Representation: Taking place in Savannah, Georgia, and briefly in Paris, the action/comedy film “Bride Hard” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans, Latin people and Asians) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A woman who is an undercover spy gets her secret work life exposed when a criminal and his gang of mercenaries invade her best friend’s wedding.

Culture Audience: “Bride Hard” will appeal primarily to fans of the movie’s headliners and mindless comedies that have broad slapstick and weak jokes.

Rebel Wilson in “Bride Hard” (Photo by Stefania Rosini/Magenta Light Studios)

The misguided action comedy “Bride Hard” is a tiresome mixture of silly and boring. This tacky story about a spy’s hijinks during her best friend’s wedding is like being forced to watch annoying people do terrible drunk karaoke at a wedding. The well-known cast members look like they know they’re in an embarrassing mess but they didn’t want to pass up whatever salary they were paid to be in one of the worst movies of their careers.

Directed by Simon West and written by Shaina Steinberg, “Bride Hard” (whose title is inspired by the 1988 action film “Die Hard”) is built on a very flimsy concept: An undercover spy, who’s in a bridal party for her best friend’s wedding, battles against a criminal gang that invades the wedding and has to teach the bride and bridesmaids some combat skills along the way. With a good screenplay, competent direction and skillful performances, this concept might have been passable entertainment.

Instead, “Bride Hard” is just blunder after blunder of cringeworthy jokes, sloppily staged action and substandard acting that are all more likely to have viewers rolling their eyes with exasperation rather than roaring with laughter. “Bride Hard” also pretends to have a “female empowerment” message, but spends most of the film depicting women as dimwitted, shallow and vindictive against each other. The movie runs into the run ground early and often its very outdated “joke” about women being more inept than men in handling weapons.

“Bride Hard” begins by showing the two female best friends at the center of the story—Sam and Betsy—30 years ago when they were about 11 years old and had to say goodbye each other as Sam moves away from their hometown of Savannah, Georgia. (“Bride Hard” was filmed on location in Savannah.) It’s mentioned later in the movie that Sam’s mother has been married at least six times and raised Sam in a working-class household. By contrast, Betsy comes from an upper-middle-class and stable family.

As adults, sarcastic Sam (played by Rebel Wilson) and perky Betsy (played by Anna Camp) are still best friends, but Betsy doesn’t know at the time that Sam is a secret spy for the U.S. government. (Sam has an Australian accent, which is Wilson’s real accent.) Sam’s fake job that she uses as a cover is being an artist who designs and sells cat prints. Sam is supposed to be the maid of honor at Betsy’s upcoming wedding.

They’re having the bachelorette party in Paris to accommodate Sam, who says that she has to work in Paris. Also attending the bachelorette party (which is being held at a pub that has male exotic dancers as entertainment) are the bridesmaids: Lydia (played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph), a sassy bachelorette who’s looking for love; Zoe (played by Gigi Zambado), a demanding and moody wife who’s very pregnant; and Virginia (played by Anna Chlumsky), Betsy’s snobby future sister-in-law, who’s jealous of the close friendship that Sam and Betsy have. (It’s the bridesmaid/maid of honor rivalry in “Bride Hard” is an obvious ripoff of a subplot in the 2011 classic comedy “Bridesmaids.”)

During this party (where rock star Yoshiki has a cameo role as himself), Sam gets an emergency alert from her spy colleague Nadine (played by Sherry Cola) that a terrorist named Magnus Paulson is about to obtain a bio-weapon that’s small enough to put in briefcase. Sam is under orders to not interfere but she abruptly leaves the party to race to where she knows Magnus is and thwarts the deal. A very ridiculous scene of chasing and fighting then ensues.

Sam is able to get the bio-weapon away from Magnus, but her insubordination gets her taken off of the case by her supervisor Edgar (played by Mark Valley), who doesn’t respect Sam because he thinks she’s too reckless and impulsive. When Sam goes back to the bachelorette party, she finds out that Betsy was so insulted by Sam leaving the party with no explanation, Betsy decided to make Virginia the maid of honor.

The wedding is being held on a private island in Savannah. Betsy’s fiancé Ryan Cauldwell (played by Sam Huntington) is a nice and humble man who comes from a wealthy family that has owned a successful liquor business for at least 200 years. Ryan is Virginia’s brother. The Cauldwell family’s company has one of its main distilleries not far from where the wedding will take place on a private island.

Betsy’s widower father Frank O’Connell (played by Michael O’Neill) is a decorated military veteran. Ryan’s parents Mark Cauldwell (played by Craig Anton) and Diane Cauldwell (played by Colleen Camp, no relation to Anna Camp) approve of Betsy, who is the type of person who wants everyone around her to be happy but she doesn’t tolerate flakiness. Colleen Camp, who is one of the producers of “Bride Hard,” has some of the worst lines of dialogue in the movie, which has an overabundance of stale jokes.

Sam is trying not to be bitter that her role in the wedding party was “demoted” from maid of honor to just being a regular bridesmaid. At a wedding rehearsal, Sam meets Chris (played by Justin Hartley), who is Ryan’s good-looking best man. Sam and Chris flirt with each other, which Virginia notices from a distance. Virginia later tells Sam to stay away from Chris because Virginia and Chris were romantically “linked” in the past. Virginia shows Sam a magazine article to prove it.

Chris is the subject of gossip because his father, who was Mark’s former business colleague, is in prison for fraud. At the rehearsal dinner, which is being held outdoors, the Betsy and the bridesmaids do a dance on the lawn, but Sam is excluded because the bridesmaids learned this dance at the Paris bachelorette party where Sam was mostly absent. Virginia makes a point of gloating abut Sam being excluded.

To get revenge on Virginia, Sam watches from a distance and uses a peashooter to hit Virginia with a rock. Virginia gets whacked in the head with the rock and falls into a bed of thorny flowers. To Virginia’s horror, several thorny flowers are stuck to her cleavage and have to be painfully removed, leaving bloody scratch marks on her upper chest. This is the type of “comedy” that’s in the movie.

Lydia shows a romantic interest in wedding officiator Reverend Tom (played by Kristian Kordula), who is an eligible bachelor. Zoe spends much of her screen time berating her husband Dave (played by Remy Ortiz) for not being attentive enough to her. And a comedy has a pregnant woman who’s almost ready to give birth , you can easily predict what will happen to the pregnancy during an inconvenient time.

At the wedding, things are going smoothly until right before the bride and groom say their vows. A gunslinging criminal named Kurt (played by Stephen Dorff) shows up with some of his thugs to invade the wedding. The gang hold everyone hostage because Kurt demands money from the Cauldwells and the release of some prisoners he knows.

The rest of “Bride Hard” is exactly what you think it will be: Sam has to figure out a way to be a hero who can rescue everyone, with help from the bridesmaids. None of it is funny or entertaining to watch. Expect to hear a lot of annoying shrieking because “Bride Hard” thinks it’s hilarious to see women in bridesmaid dresses being ditzy while pretending to be badasses. Wilson and Anna Camp co-starred in the first three “Pitch Perfect” movies, but “Bride Hard” has none of the charm of even the worst “Pitch Perfect” film.

One of the problems with “Bride Hard” is the uneven direction of the cast members’ performances. Dorff (who’s been typecast as a gruff villain for most of his career) acts like he’s in a serious movie. Cola looks like she wants to be in an intelligent independent film but is stuck in this the junky “Bride Hard.” And everyone else acts like “Bride Hard” is exactly what it is: a witless train wreck that’s not worth the effort to give good performances.

Magenta Light Studios released “Bride Hard” in U.S. cinemas on June 20, 2025.

Review: ‘Juliet & Romeo,’ starring Clara Rugaard, Jamie Ward, Jason Isaacs, Dan Fogler, Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett and Derek Jacobi

May 9, 2025

by Carla Hay

Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward in “Juliet & Romeo” (Photo courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)

“Juliet & Romeo”

Directed by Timothy Scott Bogart

Culture Representation: Taking place in the 1301, in Verona, Italy, the musical film “Juliet & Romeo” (based on the play “Romeo & Juliet”) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some black people and Latin people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A teenage boy and a teenage girl fall in love with each other, even though their families are feuding with each other. 

Culture Audience: “Juliet & Romeo” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and the movie’s headliners, but this bland and muddled musical’s drastic change to the original story’s ending might be too much of a turnoff to many viewers.

A scene from “Juliet & Romeo.” Pictured from left to right: Sarah Lazzaro, Tayla Parx, Rupert Everett, Rebel Wilson, Clara Rugaard, Lidia Vitale, Jason Isaacs, Nicholas Podany, Max Parker and Zac Bellward. (Photo courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)

“Juliet & Romeo” is a musical with forgettable songs, a romance with no sizzle, and an ending with a terrible revision and tone-deaf announcement about an unwanted sequel. Everyone in this misguided flop looks like they’re doing Renaissance Faire cosplay. Without question, “Juliet & Romeo” will be ranked as one of the worst “Romeo and Juliet” movie adaptations of all time. The movie is supposed to take place in Verona, Italy, in 1301, but it looks and sounds like a Hollywood throwaway musical from 2001.

Written and directed by Timothy Scott Bogart, “Juliet & Romeo” (which takes place over the course of four days) is such a mind-numbing misfire, Juliet (played by Clara Rugaard) and Romeo (played by Jamie Ward) are only in a handful of scenes together. And when Romeo and Juliet are together, they spend most of their time being coy and talking about superfical nonsense. Not once do you believe that these two characters have such a deep connection and a burning passion for each other that they would literally die for each other, which is the famous ending of the “Romeo and Juliet” play that William Shakespeare wrote in the 1590s. And brace yourselves: Bogart has said in interviews that he conceived his “Juliet & Romeo” movies to be a trilogy.

The pop/rock songs in “Juliet & Romeo” aren’t completely terrible, mainly because talented people are singing the songs. Evan Kidd Bogart (Timothy Scott Bogart’s younger brother) and Justin Gray wrote the original songs for “Juliet & Romeo.” The problem with the songs is that they don’t have any catchy and memorable hooks. The lyrics are very bland and don’t add much to the story of Romeo and Juliet. These songs could be on any D-list pop album and you wouldn’t be able to tell that these songs were written for a movie about Romeo and Juliet.

The first scene of “Juliet & Romeo” is actually the funeral of Romeo and Juliet, who are shown embracing each other in a coffin. The funeral service is conducted by Friar Lawrence (played by Derek Jacobi), a clergyman who flip-flops during the story when it comes to his approval of Romeo and Juliet’s romance. The movie then flashes back to three days earlier and shows what happens during those three days and then shows the funeral that took place on the fourth day and what happened after the funeral.

While it’s possible that some people seeing this movie have never heard of the famous ending of “Romeo and Juliet,” by putting Romeo and Juliet’s funeral in the movie’s first scene, it ensures that this spoiler information is revealed from the start. It also shows that the filmmakers don’t have enough respect for the intended impact of the original ending of “Romeo and Juliet” because not only did they reveal this information too early in the movie, but they also used it as a cheap gimmick to fabricate a very different ending. This altered ending is as cringeworthy and superficial as the rest of the movie.

A great deal of the tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet” is because these two doomed lovers died mainly because their prominent Verona families are locked in a bitter feud and would not accept the couple’s relationship. Romeo comes from the Montague family, led by his parents Lord Montague (played by Jason Isaacs) and Lady Montague (played by Lidia Vitale), who are cold and domineering. Juliet comes from the Capulet family, led by her parents Lord Capulet (played by Rupert Everett) and Lady Capulet (played by Rebel Wilson), who are gregarious and manipulative.

Romeo also has a loyal adopted brother named Mercutio (played by Nicholas Podany), who was adopted as an orphan. Also in Romeo’s family is his cousin Benvolio (played by Max Parker), who doesn’t have a personality that stands out. Juliet has a hothead cousin named Tybalt (played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who is constantly picking fights with Romeo. Expect to see many brawls and chase scenes on streets and in alleyways, as if this movie is confused and thinks it’s “West Side Story.”

Why are the Montagues and the Capulets feuding? Don’t expect this movie to give clear answers. There’s a lot of shouting and scheming about who’s going to be loyal to the government and who’s going to be loyal to the Pope. At one point, Lord Montague slaps Romeo hard in the face and snarls, “You stand with this family, or you stand alone, son.” Meanwhile, Juliet’s parents give her distress by arranging for her to be engaged to a count named Paris (played by Dennis Andres), whom she doesn’t know. Juliet finds out about this engagement before she’s even met Paris.

“Juliet & Romeo” spends way too much time on side characters. Juliet has a clique of female friends named Rosaline (played by Tayla Parx), Veronica (played by Martina Ortiz Luis) and Lilly (played by Quinn Scott Bogart) who are like a tame 1301 Verona version of the “Sex and the City” women. There’s even a “female empowerment” sextet song titled “The Mask I Wear,” where each of them gets a solo with Lady Capulet and a newly created character named Vesante (played by Ledisi), whose purpose just seems to be so Grammy-winning singer Ledisi could have a role in this movie. Too bad the song packs a punch like a limp wrist.

Mercutio is having a romance with Veronica, so the movie shows them on dates and the first time that they spend the night together. Rosaline had a thing going with Tybalt, but she loses interest in him because he’s too much of a jerk. Is this the Romeo and Juliet story, or is it a teen soap opera? And by the way: Romeo, Juliet and most of their friends in this movie look much older than the teenagers they are supposed to be.

Surprisingly, Walsh-Peelo (who’s arguably the most talented male singer in the “Juliet & Romeo” cast; see the 2016 movie “Sing Street” for proof) does not get any solo songs as Tybalt, the story’s chief villain. He’s only heard in the group song “Streets on Fire,” which also features Rugaard, Ward, Parx, Ledisi, Podany and Parker. It seems like such a waste of Walsh-Peelo’s musical talent.

Other characters in the movie include Juliet’s nurse from childhood (played by Sarah Lazzaro), who would be called a nanny in modern times, but her character is sidelined for the teen romances. There’s also an unnamed apothecary (played by Dan Fogler), who invents the fateful potion that is consumed by Romeo and Juliet. He is depicted in this movie as a “mad scientist” type who does experiments on rats. And if you waited your whole life to see this story’s friar and apothecary do a duet called “I Should Write This Down” in a musical, then “Juliet & Romeo” is the movie for you.

Juliet and Romeo meet when she is visiting Verona from France, where she has been living as a student. They flirt with each other, but she won’t tell him her name the first time that they meet. Later, when Romeo is getting chased in an alley fight by Tybalt and some of his cronies, Juliet grabs Romeo and kisses him so that his face can be obscured. We’re supposed to believe that the guys chasing Romeo suddenly forget what he’s wearing because they don’t notice Romeo kissing Juliet as Tybalt and his fighting pals run right past Romeo and Juliet.

When Juliet and Romeo kiss again in another scene, she says to him: “I can’t tell if your poetry is prose.” She pauses and says, “Poetry it is then,” as she leans into him to give him another kiss. Rugaard is a little more convincing than Ward at showing emotions, but Ward and Rugaard lack the necessary chemistry together to be believable as a legendary couple. Ward shows more passion in the fight scenes than the love scenes, which is not the way to do things in one of the most famous love stories of all time.

Some of the cast members in “Juliet & Romeo” were in Timothy Scott Bogart’s 2023 feature-film directorial debut “Spinning Gold,” a very flawed biopic of his father Neil Bogart, a record company executive who helped artists such as Kiss, Donna Summer and Parliament-Funkadelic become major stars. Parx, Fogler and Ledisi were in “Spinning Gold,” which had the cast members do their own singing when performing songs from famous artists. “Spinning Gold” and “Juliet & Romeo” have the same problems: good singing trapped in a movie with a bad screenplay and mishandled direction. And when a movie about Romeo and Juliet doesn’t have an authentic-looking romance, it’s doomed to fail.

Briarcliff Entertainment released “Juliet & Romeo” in U.S. cinemas on May 9, 2025.

ABC announces American version of ‘Pooch Perfect’ series, hosted by Rebel Wilson

January 13, 2021

The following is a press release from ABC:

“Pooch Perfect” (Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC

Premiere date: March 30, 2021.

Hosted by award-winning actress Rebel Wilson, “Pooch Perfect” is the ulti-mutt dog grooming competition series. The eight-episode serieswill showcase 10 of the best dog groomers in the country, along with their assistants, competing in a series of paw-some themed challenges. 

Each week on “Pooch Perfect,” teams will compete in the Immunity Puppertunity challenge, where one team will earn immunity from elimination. Then, in the Ultimutt Challenge showdown, the remaining teams will face off in an epic grooming transformation, which they will show off on the illustrious dogwalk. The trio of all-star celebrity judges – Lisa Vanderpump, Jorge Bendersky and Dr. Callie Harris – will be tasked with voting on the incredible creations and ultimately force one team back to the doghouse every week. It all leads up to the season finale where the top three teams compete for a giant cash prize and the coveted “Pooch Perfect” first place trophy.

“Pooch Perfect” is produced by Beyond Media Rights Limited. Elan Gale, Sonya Wilkes and Rebel Wilson serve as executive producers. Nicole Anthony, Mike Rosen, Carley Simpson and Matthew Silverberg serve as co-executive producers. ABC’s “Pooch Perfect” is based off of the Australian format. Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.

The Host, Judges and Season 1 Contestants

Episode Photos

Rebel Wilson launches fashion line Rebel Wilson x Angels

June 26, 2017

Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson (Photo by Carter Smith)

The following is a press release from Rebel Wilson x Angels:

This fall, Rebel Wilson will be delivering a contemporary collection for women size 14 and up. This signature concept from the Australian entertainment icon is rooted in the belief that style has no size. Offering trend-right silhouettes in high quality fabrications, REBEL WILSON X ANGELS launches with a Fall 2017 collection that starts delivering to Nordstrom, Dillards, Lord & Taylor, and Dia & Co this July. The collection will be available online and in store through these retailers.

Wilson has been working to create the right looks and fit for the line. Says Wilson, “When I worked on plus-size capsule collections in the past, it was such a fun and rewarding experience that I really wanted to break out with my own line. I’m so excited that these designs will reach more people and remain available all year round.”

REBEL WILSON X ANGELS collection ranges from everyday essentials to versatile statement pieces in a size run from 14 to 24. At the core of the line is a range of denim essentials, many constructed with LYCRA® Beauty fabric, an innovative material that shapes and sculpts for an incredibly flattering look and feel. The collection also includes an amazing assortment of everyday staples with edge, from graphic tees and statement tops to suede moto jackets, varsity jackets and bombers. Other items include occasion dresses that demand attention thanks to textural interest, eye-catching embellishments, flirty, feminine detailing and strong prints and palettes.

The collection’s bold attitude and fashion-forward aesthetic is a celebration of its eponymous muse, Rebel Wilson, whose daring humor and dynamic personal style has won over fans around the world – and whose very name means defying convention. Every piece is designed to celebrate the figure, not hide it, and give the wearer the confidence to be her own Rebel.

“I know how hard it can be to find the cool, quality fashion I want to wear, even with the help of Hollywood stylists,” says Wilson. “I’m so proud to be creating this collection with The Mamiye Group, and to give gorgeous ladies everywhere amazing clothes that empower them to express their confidence and chic attitude.”

“Women of all sizes want the confidence and empowerment that comes from fashion-forward style,” says Charles D. Mamiye, President and CEO of Mamiye Group. “REBEL WILSON X ANGELS is a contemporary collection that offers fresh, exciting designs for women sizes 14-24, inspired by an icon.”

REBEL WILSON X ANGELS will land in select retailers stores nationwide for Fall 2017. Retail prices range from $49 to $298.

Rebel will be personally promoting the line starting July and will be utilizing her social media fanbase with the hashtag: #GetYourRebelOn. Additionally Rebel wears a number of pieces from the collection in her upcoming film PITCH PERFECT 3 released worldwide in December 2017.

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