There Goes the Bride

Rating:
Summary: There Goes The Bride? There goes my time! Actually it's O.K.
Review: The technical part of this review refers to the Pro-Active Entertainment release.

So many things to talk about, where to start? Well, the movie itself. "There Goes The Bride" is based on a stage play, um, ok, have you ever heard of it? Neither have I. It's a comedy? Musical? Could be. The ever likable Tommy Smothers (ok, if you have Tommy Smothers starring in a movie, how good could it be?) stars as an ad exec whose daughter is getting married. But he's got a lot on his plate on this wedding day, he has to pick up his daughter's soon-to-be in-laws at the airport, pick up the flowers and visit a client and come up with a winning ad campaign all in a matter of hours. A couple of knocks on the head sends him spinning and seeing his dream girl (Twiggy). He can see her, but no one else can, thus, the hilarity, ahem, ensues.

Made in 1979 (it shows with the cheesy music), Tommy Smothers actually does a decent job as the ad executive, considering the material he has to work with. Sylvia Sims as his wife is probably the weakest link in the main cast. Jim Backus is cast as the client and is delightful, though under utilized. Phil Silvers also has a minor role as a psychiatrist who does not interact with the main cast. And Broderick Crawford also has a cameo role, which was painful to watch. Martin Balsam turns in a solid performance as the bride's soon-to-be father in-law. And English actors Geoffrey Sumner and Hermoine Baddeley (in her last live movie performance) save the movie with their characters.

The Tommy Smothers/Twiggy storyline is hard, very hard to believe, although Twiggy's performance does make it easier to watch. A couple of nice dance numbers add to the fun. My major complaint with the film itself is the soft lens used to photograph whenever Twiggy appears on screen.

The DVD transfer itself is very sub-par. The package claims "Dolby Digital", don't you believe it! The sound is loud and muffled at times. The print used was well used, numerous jumps in the first few minutes. It calms down after that, but you know you're not seeing something straight from the vault.

Price? Worth a look if you can find it in the bargain bin. And worth finding if you're a fan of Jim Backus or Twiggy. My wife and I have two piles for our DVD's after we get done watching them. Ones to keep and ones to sell, I won't put this one in the sell yet. While far far from great, I just might watch this again for the performances some rainy day in the future.