Ticketworthy! - The Bride!

If one felt like being generous to The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s stylish new take on the Bride of Frankenstein, I suppose they could call it eclectic. It’s got energy and big ideas, and it clearly isn’t afraid to take chances. Also, unlike certain other classic monster movies that we’ve been subjected to this year (Dracula comes to mind), the romance that frames the plot of this film actually has time to develop and come into its own. Unfortunately, the movie just has a nasty habit of getting overexcited and rushing through its ideas too quickly, leaving the audience and the characters scrambling to catch up. A little more patience with the story could have made for a genuinely great film, rather than the chaotic mess it actually is.

As it is, the story follows Ida (Jesse Buckley), a woman killed by mobsters in 1936 Chicago. She is brought back to life in order to be the bride of Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale), now calling himself Frank. Without her memories of her previous life, Ida embarks on a journey of crime and chaos with Frank throughout the United States, hunted tirelessly by the police along the way.

The setting is perfect, and perfectly shot. The Depression-era style alternates between the glitz and glamour of the big cities and the grimy, seedy bars and hovels that Ida and Frank often find themselves in. The world is simultaneously beautiful and harsh, the ideal backdrop for this story. I wouldn’t change that element of the film at all.

However, by far the most important parts of the film are Ida, Frank, and their relationship. Despite some of the complaints I have about the storytelling, I can’t deny the magnificent performances that Buckley and Bale give. Even when she has no memory and seems helpless, Ida never feels one-note or blank. Her intelligence, wit, and anger are always present, and she is usually the most interesting person on screen. Her only challenger for that title is Frank, played by Bale like a lonely, love-starved puppy. His devotion to Ida, though often misguided and unfair to her, is fascinating to watch.

I wish I could say the same for any of the supporting cast, but none of them really do much. The actors are all fine and the characters seem interesting enough, but there are just entirely too many of them with their own subplots that the film never has time to care about. There’s a detective that may have ties to Ida, his capable female assistant who deserves her own badge, a morally gray doctor who brings Ida back to life, the mob, a movie star that Frank is obsessed with, and Mary Shelley. Actual Mary Shelley, for some reason. While I don’t fault Gyllenhaal for wanting an interesting, fleshed out world, this is just way too much, and the movie gets crushed under the weight of her ambition.

I respect what Gyllenhaal was going for. She’s crafted a perfectly fine movie that’s fun, exciting, and interesting. She just goes for a bit too much and tries to cram far too many ideas in. It can be frustrating when there isn’t time or space to do every neat thing you want with a movie, but that’s the cost of doing business. Some things need to be trimmed off to make the whole better. The Bride! could use significant trimming. I want to love this movie, but it’s way too chaotic and messy for me to say “I do.”