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_Bride Wars_ is “a crass, despicably sexist piece of Hollywood trash,” said Josh Bell in _Las Vegas Weekly_. The movie is about childhood friends, played by Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson,

who "turn into evil shrews" when they realize their weddings are scheduled for the same day (watch the trailer here, via YouTube). It reduces women “to irrational, wedding-crazy

stereotypes, apparently unable to focus on anything beyond superficial, materialistic desires.” _Bride Wars_ isn't perfect, said Bob Strauss in _The Mercury News_, but its

"genuinely wicked spirit" is actually its main strength. Director Gary Winick clearly encouraged his leading ladies to “go hell-bent for” nastiness. But somehow Winick keeps his

leads on “this side of despicable, if not wildly egocentric,” and their “character growth, superficial as it is, nonetheless seems earned.” And the chemistry between Hathaway and Hudson

feels real, said Amy Nicholson in _Inland Empire Weekly_. So their clash comes off as a showdown between genuine human beings, “not wedding-obsessed fembots.” Give the film a chance, and

you'll find that it's one of the "most empathetic" takes on women you've seen in a romantic comedy in years. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the

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