'Something Borrowed': You won't want it back

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

Why hasn't Kate Hudson learned to steer clear of the altar after 2009's dismal Bride Wars?

• 

  By David Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures

  One-sided friendship: Kate Hudson, left, is the attention-grabbing, bossy Darcy, and Ginnifer Goodwin is quiet, selfless Rachel.

By David Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures

One-sided friendship: Kate Hudson, left, is the attention-grabbing, bossy Darcy, and Ginnifer Goodwin is quiet, selfless Rachel.

Her obnoxious bridezilla roles make no use of the gently ditzy comic talent she displayed more than a decade ago in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous.

Though her romantic-comedy roles since then are largely forgettable, her unbridled bridal passion is worse. Who wants to cringe through a chick flick in which half of a best-pal duo incessantly bullies and grabs the spotlight from the other?

Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) is annoyingly cowed by her childhood friend, the maniacally bossy Darcy (Hudson). Their unequal bond is just one of many misfires. Also confounding is how Rachel could have missed signs that her friendship with law school buddy Dex (Colin Egglesfield) was poised to become something more. Sure, some people are clueless or self-defeating, but Rachel should have her head examined for so selflessly passing over the guy she cares about to hard-partying Darcy.

And why would Rachel wait six years, until just before Dex and Darcy are due to marry, to acknowledge feelings for Dex?

Nevermind that the wimpy Dex hardly seems worthy of the affections of one woman, let alone two. Worse, the more affable and attractive Ethan (John Krasinski) is ignored as though he were chopped liver. Yet he continues to hang around. The ensemble cast is quite the dysfunctional friendship circle.

* 1/2 out of four

Stars: Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield, Ashley Williams, Steve Howey
Director: Luke Greenfield
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue and some drug material
Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Opens Friday nationwide

Bonds are tested and feelings hurt, but who really cares? The story takes predictable turns, embraces clich�s and dodges all humor. The drawn-out resolution leaves viewers feeling cheated. Everyone is in love with the wrong person. In a clever comedy of errors, situations are righted or people get what they deserve ? and it's done with imagination and grace. None of those elements are at play here.

Audiences interested in marriage-minded Millennials would do better watching reruns of last week's royal wedding. Even the rich, titled and hat-wearing seem more relatable than the irritating folks in Something Borrowed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

Tamie Sheffield Kat Von D Blu Cantrell Marika Dominczyk Sarah Michelle Gellar