Less than a decade ago, the movies were mad for proms.
"She's All That," "Jawbreaker," "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Never Been Kissed" were just a few that made moviegoers seem as if they needed to shop for gowns and strappy stilettos.
Now, it's all about weddings, although that could shift to babies.
Friday saw the opening of "Bride Wars," with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as frenemies.
On Jan. 16, "Last Chance Harvey" will feature Dustin Hoffman as a jingle writer who flies to London to attend his daughter's wedding, only to discover that her stepfather will walk her down the aisle. But he meets Emma Thompson, so it's all good.
In March 20's "I Love You, Man," Paul Rudd plays a newly engaged real-estate agent who discovers he has no male friend close enough to serve as best man. He embarks on a series of "man dates," only to find a great pal (Jason Segel) who endangers his relationship with his fiancee.
On June 12, "The Proposal" will feature Sandra Bullock as a book editor who faces deportation. What's a girl to do? Pretend she's engaged to the assistant (Ryan Reynolds) she's tormented for years. And "The Accidental Husband," once slotted for 2008, could open this spring, too.
Here's a look at some recent marriage-minded movies:
"RACHEL GETTING MARRIED" (2008)
Anne Hathaway is not the betrothed and, for a while, it looks as if she may not even be a guest. She is the bride's sister and a recovering drug addict whose re-entry into the family at the wedding reopens old wounds.
Lesson learned: The rehearsal dinner might not be the time to make amends per the 12-step program, but it's certainly good for an actress' Oscar chances.
"SEX AND THE CITY" (2008)
Blame that darn Vivienne Westwood wedding gown. Once Carrie Bradshaw traded her sensible (and plain) vintage suit for a breathtaking dress, all hopes for a small ceremony went out the window.
Lesson learned: It's about the marriage, not the wedding, and fairy-tale endings sometimes involve forgiveness.
"MADE OF HONOR" (2008)
Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan play decade-long best friends. When she returns from Scotland after six weeks with a fiance in tow, Dempsey agrees to be her male "maid of honor," even as he realizes he's in love with her.
Lesson learned: Of all the days to declare your love for the bride, does it have to be on her wedding day? When you're not the groom.
"27 DRESSES" (2008)
Katherine Heigl, whose romantic life on "Grey's Anatomy" has taken a bizarre turn, is a single gal who has been a bridesmaid 27 times and has the dresses and parasols to prove it. But she hits the wall when her younger, spoiled sister wins over her boss and secret crush and a persistent reporter questions her always-a-bridesmaid life.
Lesson learned: Payback can be a bitter pill to swallow or wear.
"SWEET LAND" (2007)
Elisabeth Reaser is a mail-order bride who arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer (Tim Guinee). She speaks no English, and her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers make her an object of suspicion in the years after World War I.
Lesson learned: Language barriers can be breached and love cultivated under the most trying of circumstances.
"LICENSE TO WED" (2007)
Robin Williams is a minister who puts a newly engaged couple (Mandy Moore and John Krasinski) through a bizarre marriage prep course that could end in their breakup.
Lesson learned: Better to watch Krasinski's Jim tiptoe toward the aisle with Pam on "The Office" than this lame comedy.
"CORPSE BRIDE" (2005)
This is a delightful, dizzily imaginative tale about a hapless, spindly-legged bachelor who unwittingly marries a dead woman -- on the eve of his wedding to a woman who is very much alive. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter lend their voices to this inventive tale, set in a Victorian-era village and told with stop-motion animation.
Lesson learned: More fun than a cookie table and none of the calories.
"WEDDING CRASHERS" (2005)
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are divorce mediators who masquerade as invited wedding guests, work the angles and the room, and pick up chicks.
Lesson learned: Never hurts to have someone double-check the guest list or seating chart.
"MONSOON WEDDING" (2002)
Director Mira Nair infuses her movie about an arranged marriage between an Indian television producer and an engineer living in America with music, marigolds and complications galore.
Lesson learned: Julia Roberts doesn't have to play the bride for the watcher to have a jubilant time.
"MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" (2002)
Nia Vardalos took every Greek wedding she ever attended, including her own, and "on a scale of 1 to 10, I turned it up to an 11." She is a former frump turned travel agent and college student who meets Mr. Right (John Corbett), despite the fact he isn't Greek and is a -- gasp! -- vegetarian.
Lesson learned: In addition to the curative powers of Windex, love will triumph.
"THE BREAD, MY SWEET" (2001)
This stars Scott Baio as a corporate shark whose heart lies in the bakery he operates with his brother and the elderly Italian couple who live upstairs. When the neighbor, Bella (Rosemary Prinz), becomes ill and laments the fact that her only daughter is single and unsettled, Baio hatches a plan to help.
Lesson learned: It's all the sweeter when food or romance is made from scratch.
"THE WEDDING PLANNER" (2001)
Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) is a wedding planner who can calm a jittery bride, feed the best man his lines and diplomatically relocate the guest with the Marge Simpson bouffant. Can she handle a doc (Matthew McConaughey) who seems like her dream date but turns out to be the groom in the biggest job of her life?
Lesson learned: Old-fashioned happy endings haven't gone out of style.
(Movie editor Barbara Vancheri can be reached at bvancheri(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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