The New York Times
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Page B1, B6
The Story
The Summary: A new show on Fox created by David E. Kelly named "The Wedding Bells" centers on a three sisters running an inherited wedding planning business. Drama ensues.
If I didn't have to work tonight, I might watch this show, just to laugh. Lately, the more and more I realize how much goes into wedding planning (thanks to roommates who are getting married, as well as my new love Engaged and Underage on MTV) the less I want a wedding.
For a television writer who created so many smart, original female characters in serious dramas like “Chicago Hope” and “The Practice,” Mr. Kelley has shown a surprisingly mean-spirited edge when it comes to comedy. The change was evident even before his disastrous and short-lived series in 2002 about kittenish young lawyers, “Girls Club.” Ally McBeal, for all her insecurities and irritating tics, was the heroine of that series...It’s almost as if, having ridden the wave of feminism early in his career as a writer on “L.A. Law,” Mr. Kelley has fallen into a reactionary sulk...
I'm not surprised, though. If you've ever watched Bridzillas, the women on that show aren't normally the most intellegent. I'm not saying that smart women don't have big weddings, but smart people also tend to be more rational, and rational people don't normally blow up at people who are trying to help them.
Fifty percent of couples may divorce, but weddings remain a boom industry, fueled by things like the weddingchannel.com and “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?,” a reality show on the Style Network. With the recent sitcom “Big Day,” ABC has already tried and failed to wrap a series around a wedding. The “Today” show boosts its ratings by letting viewers choose between competing betrothed couples in a kind of Matrimonial Idol; NBC pays for the wedding of the winning husband and wife.
“Engaged and Underage,” a new reality show on MTV, follows very young couples, many of whom choose to remain virgins until marriage, as they navigate the treacherous shoals of bouquets, tuxedo rentals and mothers-in-law. And, of course, the WE channel has “Bridezillas,” a recurring reality series that profiles brides on the verge of a wedding meltdown.
Weddings have become a source of entertainment, both in and out of the church. But I'm beginning to rethink this country's celebration of weddings... the beginning of a marriage. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.(pdf)Why should I give someone a wedding gift for getting married when it can end a year later? That's not fair. I don't dislike marriage, it's weddings I have a problem with.
If you've ever watched My Super Sweet Sixteen, a show about spoiled children, mostly girls, who have elaborate parties on or around their 16th birthdays. Now place this in the context of a wedding! The author of the review states that some of these women seem a little catty.
The premiere begins with a jittery, chain-smoking bride who bolts seconds before the ceremony begins. Another bride, the rich, spoiled and imperious Amanda (Missi Pyle), keeps correcting the staff, even the wedding singer and his band. “This is my moment,” she hisses.
After witnessing reality shows along with friends and relatives getting married, I can only see this as an accurate portrayal of modern brides. Alessandra Stanley might feel that Mr. Kelley is setting back women, but I think we need to see ourselves like this to move on from it. Sometimes we just need a mirror to see the mud on our faces.
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