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Release:
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2008, Regent Releasing
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Starring:
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Tori Spelling, Philipp Karner, James O'Shea, Amber Benson
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Director:
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C. Jay Cox
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MPAA Rating:
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[R] sexuality, language
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Genre:
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Comedy/Romance
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Opens:
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April 18, 2008
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Amber Benson Steals Scenes in Kiss the Bride
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Commentary by Michael Lee (Interviews conducted April 11, 2008)
In the romantic comedy Kiss the Bride, a young man named Matt (Philipp Karner) is shocked to learn that his former high school love Ryan (James O'Shea) is marrying a woman. While Ryan believes that his relationship with Matt was just a fling from their impetuous youth, Matt is convinced that his old flame is confused, and sets out to save him from his fiance Alex (Tori Spelling). But immediately upon meeting him, Alex takes a liking to Matt, and Matt finds himself trying to rekindle a romance with Ryan even as chemistry seems to be brewing with Alex.
A highlight of the film that no one seems to be mentioning is Amber Benson (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in the role of Elly, Alex's bitter, bitter sister. Jilted about a year earlier, Elly has good reason to begrudge the institute of matrimony, taking out her aggression on her bride-to-be sibling. She doesn't play the largest part in the story, but her scenes are memorable and provide the most comic relief.
Elly's constantly ticked-off attitude is a departure from the meek, heroic, and sweet personas fans have seen Amber perform in the past--so we had to ask about her part in the project when it came time to talk to Tori Spelling and director C. Jay Cox about this movie.
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"One of the things that I've always wanted to do was make movies with my friends, and Amber was in my first movie, Latter Days," Cox explains, when asked about bringing Amber into the mix. "And so when we were casting the bitter sister, we thought it would be a side of Amber that we haven't seen. And she's really got this funny, sarcastic side. So that fit really perfectly."
Spelling had similar praise for her onscreen sister. "I loved working with Amber. I was a fan of her show, so when I met her, I was really excited. I love comedy, so when I can have someone to banter with in a scene, it's always great...And she did such an amazing job. And she just has that dry sense of humor. Like every time she would deliver a line, it would just crack me up. Still, every time I watch the movie, when I see her deliver a line, she makes me laugh."
Cox also appreciated the chemistry between the duo, commenting, "It was just really fun to see the two of them as sisters."
In the framework of the standard romantic comedy, it's almost a given that the supporting character gets the best lines and the funniest scenes. Spelling was completely aware of that fact, and admits to eyeballing the role of Elly before she even locked up her part as Alex. "I loved that role," she says. "When I read the script, I was like, 'Oh my God, I have to have the role of Alex! Oh, but if I don't get the role of Alex, her sister's pretty funny, too!' That was the other role that I was like, 'That's a standout role!'"
Kiss the Bride is currently playing in theaters in limited release.
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