Jessie Buckley: Why the Bride star is the Oscars’ Best Actress front-runner The Bride! is a film that defies easy categorization, blending genres and styles in a way that feels both ambitious and chaotic. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, the movie attempts to merge a love story, a reimagining of Frankenstein, an action film, a murder mystery, and a crime comedy—all while evoking the aesthetics of Prohibition-era Chicago, Manhattan, and Weimar Berlin. Its narrative is built on a framework of overt homage to other films, leading to stylistic shifts that feel less like storytelling and more like a series of stylistic experiments. One scene, set in a dance hall, leans into the absurdity of its influences, with the on-screen band playing “Puttin’ on the Ritz” moments after the narrator compares it to a scene from Young Frankenstein. Despite its tonal whiplash, the film also aims to be a serious exploration of love, female complexity, and societal constraints on women’s lives. It straddles the line between camp and feminist critique, much like Joan Crawford’s momentary pause in Johnny Guitar to deliver America Ferrera’s speech from Barbie. At the center of this patchwork is Jessie Buckley, whose performance as the titular Bride(!) is both wildly unconventional and deeply compelling. Buckley plays multiple roles—sometimes simultaneously—each with distinct emotional and physical demands. She begins as the ghost of Mary Shelley, delivering a meta-commentary on the film’s premise, then transitions to Ida, a young call girl for the Chicago mob. Her character is later possessed by Shelley, leading to a dramatic shift from a carefree entertainer to a vengeful figure spouting Shakespearean rhetoric.#jessie_buckley #the_bride #maggie_gyllenhaal #marlene_dietrich #johnny_guitar
The Bride! Flops at Box Office Despite High Budget and Prominent Cast The punk rock, feminist reimagining of The Bride of Frankenstein titled The Bride! failed to attract audiences, grossing just $7.3 million domestically and $13.6 million globally in its opening weekend. This underperformance contrasts sharply with Warner Bros.’ $90 million production budget and an additional $65 million in marketing costs, leaving the studio with a significant financial loss. The film’s poor reception marks the end of a streak of successful releases for Warner Bros., including hits like A Minecraft Movie and Wuthering Heights. Set in the 1930s, The Bride! follows a lonely Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) and his undead love interest (Jessie Buckley) as they evade capture. Despite its ambitious premise, the film struggled with middling reviews, low audience scores, and a poorly timed release. Studio projections had expected $16 million domestically and $40 million globally, but the film fell far short, landing in last place among its competitors. The release date proved to be a critical misstep. Originally scheduled for October 2025—close to Halloween, a traditional time for horror films—the movie was moved to early March. While Warner Bros. cited favorable timing for recent successes like The Batman and Dune: Part Two, the shift likely alienated fans of the genre. Critics and audiences alike noted the lack of seasonal relevance, which could have hurt its appeal. The film’s release also clashed with Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2025 and later debuted on Netflix. Though the two films differ in tone and approach, their similar Gothic themes and release windows created confusion for viewers. Warner Bros.#guillermo_del_toro #jessie_buckley #the_bride #warner_bros #christian_bale
Maggie Gyllenhaal reflects on her evolving relationship with her brother Jake Gyllenhaal ahead of the release of their new film The Bride!, marking their first collaboration since 2001’s Donnie Darko. In an interview with The New York Times podcast The Interview, Maggie shared insights about their bond, revealing that while they have never been estranged, their connection has deepened in recent years. Maggie, 48, discussed the emotional weight of casting Jake, 45, in her directorial debut. She described the process as a vulnerable moment, acknowledging the challenges of balancing their individual careers with family ties. “I think I did have to be separate from my family, from my brother,” she admitted, explaining how their early success in acting required them to navigate their personal lives. However, she emphasized that this separation was not a permanent state. “We’re finally, maybe in the last five years, more and more and more, even each day, really interacting,” she said, highlighting the effort required to maintain close ties. The film The Bride! features Jake as an actor named Ronnie Reed, who encounters the title character played by Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale’s portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster. Maggie described the decision to cast her brother as a deliberate and thoughtful process, ensuring it was the right choice. “I waited until I was absolutely sure,” she said, recalling the emotional impact of the decision. “I remember asking him and tearing up… just alone in this hotel room I was in, because it meant so much to me.” The Gyllenhaal siblings, who began acting in the 1990s, come from a family deeply rooted in filmmaking.#the_new_york_times #the_bride #maggie_gyllenhaal #jake_gyllenhaal #donnie_darko
