Can I get a do-over please?
The nervous energy that arose during my chat with “Bachelorette” stars Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan at the film’s junket last week was a little disconcerting, with Dunst in particular not taking well to my (I thought warranted) criticisms of her character Regan – a selfish, entitled, overbearing Maid of Honor whose savage instincts come increasingly to the fore after a wedding-dress mishap sends herself and two of her fellow bridesmaids (Fisher and Caplan) on a wild, dysfunctional odyssey through the city in a quest to repair the damage.
The thing is, I actually really liked the movie. Directed by Leslye Headland (who adapted the script from her own play) and also starring Rebel Wilson as the bride, “Bachelorette” is a dirtier, grungier, nastier version of “Bridesmaids” that ultimately goes to some pretty dark places. It’s also very funny, with the three leads admirably throwing themselves into their respective roles with the sort of reckless dedication that feels perfectly pitched to the somewhat schizophrenic (and admittedly uneven) material.
At any rate, I am really, really sorry I dared to refer to Dunst’s character as “unlikable” to the actress’ face. Not only did it immediately put her on the defensive, her unexpected reaction forced me to resort to a bout of shameless backpedaling in a futile attempt to alleviate the tension (“I meant Type A! Type A!”).
In the spirit of the film in question, you can check out all the awkwardness and dysfunction by clicking on the video above.
“Bachelorette” hits theaters this Friday, and is available On Demand now.