THE BRIDE! Is a Messy Bonnie & Frankenclyde Tale

When a young woman is resurrected to become a companion for a monstrous creature, she’ll find herself on a journey of liberation. And not only for her. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! is a totally original take on the classic monsters, giving the Mary Shelley tale a Bonnie and Frankenclyde style adaptation. While its visuals get a lively jolt, its story is uneven and lacks cohesion, feeling as cobbled together as the famed creature.

In 1930s Chicago, Ida (Jessie Buckley) accompanies a group of men to dinner. When she spots a local mob boss at the bar, she begins acting wildly, making a scene. And her sharp tongue gets her into trouble, meeting her demise at the hands of his lackeys. Meanwhile, Frank (Christian Bale) has traveled to Chicago in search of Dr. Cornelia Euphronious (Annette Bening), who is crazy enough to perform the same experiment as his father and create a companion for him.

Ida, being the fresh body she is, is resurrected by the doctor. Not realizing she has a bit of spunk to her, Ida, now dubbed “The Bride,” keeps Frank on his toes. But their blossoming romance inevitably leads to the two getting into trouble, all while The Bride finds a voice for women like her.

I’ll give Maggie Gyllenhaal credit. It was bold to set an adaptation, so well known for its gothic romance roots, in a Prohibition-adjacent era and give the story a crime drama twist. While the film has a lot to satiate the visual senses, it doesn’t quite set itself up well enough in terms of a solid story.

Its opening is almost too boisterous, setting Ida up as a character already possessed by the spirit of Mary Shelly. Why, you ask? I’m not quite sure. This inclusion feels so odd, especially as it’s established that Dr. Frankenstein is real in the context of this film. So, having the writer of a fictitious story provide some sort of guiding hand for our lead feels so out of place.

Overall, I felt the maniacal possession angle almost distracts from what will eventually become themes of abuse towards women. It brings the film into Joker territory, and with a message hellbent on giving The Bride agency, having a spiritual guide seems to remove that. While I appreciate Gyllenhaal’s attempt to reframe her as this feminist revolutionary, it seems to contradict itself at times. Especially in the dynamic between The Bride and Frank, and even moreso in how the film ends.

I will say Buckley is putting in the work. She’s so captivating to watch, and her performance is stellar. But what makes up her version of the bride is torn between conflicting ideas of who she should be, which I found frustrating. And she’ll find her voice in certain moments, but it doesn’t feel earned through what’s happening in the story as a whole.

Christian Bale is solid, as to be expected. The design of his creature is well executed, not far off from the classic look of the character. He does struggle with picking his accent for the creature, which is obnoxious when you already have The Bride weaving through personalities, but he looks the part. I did find it odd, however, to have him so obsessed with an actor.

Frank idolizes film star Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal) and is constantly heading to the cinema to watch his movies. It does not feel like a well-rounded plot point, and is a perfect example of how this film doesn’t quite know what it wants to focus on or be.

The tone in general is way off. It can’t decide if it wants to be over the top or be more grounded in its themes. It will also have these surreal, fantasy moments, but it doesn’t really know what its own rules are. In some instances, it’s just in the minds of The Bride and Frank, the next thing it’s real, and others can see. Again, it’s all over the place.

Visually, I think The Bride! is wonderful. It has an old Hollywood feel to it, which is such a delight. The hair, makeup, costumes, and sets are stunning, but the story wasn’t quite the monster mash* it needed to be. There’s a really easy message to convey in the story, but it becomes shallow when the tone skews in so many directions. I commend Gyllenhaal for trying; she has a great eye, but she is really struggling with the narrative. So much so, I’d like to put this film back in the grave.