The Bride (Maggie Gyllenhaal, March 6, 2025) Movie • Page 2

This might be the worst “mainstream Hollywood” film I’ve ever seen? Incredibly incompetent. Thought I was being Punk’d. I’d argue The Room is better.

 

Wow I was spot on

 

Heck yeah, need to see this asap.

 

Idk if im gonna be more upset with you being right or wrong about this

 

Pretty much this.

 

Is the spoiler that OhTheWater posted real? I need it to be.

 

da bride

 

ok i need to see this heap of shit

 

Very real.

 

This is a huge mess but I mean that in the best way. It's a little heavy handed but it is loud and chaotic and full of feminine rage. It tries to do too much all at once and you may or may not agree that it succeeds but for me I was enthralled the entire way through. Maybe don't go in expecting a "good" movie, but go in with an open mind and embrace the chaos

 

I thought it was extremely weird and out there, and over the top, and bizarre, and at many times wtf, but i also kind of liked it? My wife said she loved it. Ill ask her more tomorrow. Didnt hate it, but wild and a lot to take in. It was captivating at the very least.

 

I generally liked this. will add some thoughts later. bless maggie g for convincing people to spend 80 mil+ on this

 

i was pretty indifferent to this despite a few great moments and how all over the map the reception seems to be. feel bad for anyone who doesn't get to go into those credits blind, it definitely made me laugh

 

I actually also thought about The Room a few times while watching this lol. Has the same “did an alien who doesn’t understand human behavior make this?” quality to it.

 

ok, things I liked about maggie gyllenhaal's the bride!

- I try to avoid reading a lot about movies beforehand but I did catch that she made this with her daughters in mind (may have been dedicated to them but if so I didn't catch it), and I actually found that a helpful point for understanding a lot of the choices involved and certainly the focus on consent, desire and especially female rage (and to a lesser extent the interplay of these forces).

- I was just kind of repeatedly stunned at how weird the movie's central premise is and how wildly committed it ends up being to an escalating number of bits. "mary shelley's extremely pissed off spirit has been stewing and conceptualizing fanfic in a black void for a century and decides to possess an about-to-be-killed woman who exists in the/a universe where frankenstein and his monster were/are real and they go on a patriarchy-smashing mayhem spree" is far more interesting to me on its face as a metatextual film concept than, say, "we completely made up some shit about shakespeare's creative life and work and plastered max richter over it"

- anyone complaining about the dialogue being "unrealistic" or whatever should be ashamed of themselves for their media illiteracy. this is a comic-satirical riff on a book that's over two centuries old, features repeat resurrection and musical numbers, undead sex, noir side-characters and just generally a heightened sensibility in practically all senses, with jazz hands. what the fuck are you even doing here?

- anyone complaining about the movie being "incoherent" - this is worth breaking down a bit. the movie is certainly Doing A Lot but I wouldn't call it incoherent, if anything it is furiously, maybe over-committed to underlining its very specific viewpoint and concerns alll the way through, arguably stretching that commitment to an absurd breaking point by the time you get to the climax.

- on a technical level, lots to like about the costuming and makeup, though I thought frank should/could have been a touch grosser. the sequence depicting the bride/ida being resurrected was short but also one of my favourite things seen on a big screen in a long time, I actually wanted to rewind in real time and break it down a bit. did not go in expecting to be thinking so often about lynch and guy maddin.

- fever ray performing "wanna sip" in keith flint drag.

- the endearing (to me) just-roll-with-it energy exhibited by all involved, especially the overqualified supporting cast (jeannie berlin as the goddamn MAID?) did a lot to keep me engaged even when the movie starts to overmilk the road trip aspect and just get a little long in general. annette bening in particularly just seemed to me delighted to be playing such a goofy character for a change

- it's been covered, but: best possible end credits song. no fuckin notes there.

EDIT: I deleted an inaccurate comment about how the violence felt deliberately toned down, apparently the studio forced her to remove more explicit and violent material due to the cowards who attend focus group screenings. I demand they #ReleaseTheGyllenhaalCut

 

I'm too lazy and tired to write much so I'll just co-sign this. I'm a fan.

 

I just saw someone has already written a piece touching on how the movie "mischaracterizes" mary shelley. oh, you mean she wasn't a vengeful spirit gone mad with rage and drawn to fits of bloodlust in real life? you don't say

 

Closest I’ve come to straight up walking out of a movie in my adult life. Really really bad movie. Jesus Christ

 

I disagree

 

Heck yeah, good shit.

 

Heck yeah, Vera Drew (creator of The People’s Joker, which is currently on Tubi, if you haven’t seen it yet) loved this. Proof that this move is for the sickos.

 

Josh is scrambling