Gyllenhaal's 'The Bride!' Reimagines Frankenstein's Bride
A 1930s-set feminist retelling starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale that opened in wide release Friday, Mar. 6 and drew mixed reviews.
The New Yorker“The Bride!” Is All Exclamations but No Explanations
ABC NewsMovie Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Bride!' is a Frankenstein riff with a pulse
GizmodoâThe Bride!â Is a Mad Monster Party
New York Post‘The Bride!’ review: Jessie Buckley’s latest is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in this job
Overview
Maggie Gyllenhaal's film The Bride! opened in wide release Friday, Mar. 6 and has prompted divergent reviews praising Jessie Buckley's performance while criticizing the film's coherence.
Gyllenhaal recasts the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein as a feminist 1936-set Chicago fable by centering a revived woman, Ida, and exploring gender politics through her bond with Frank, Frankenstein's creature.
Reviewers lauded Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale and praised Gyllenhaal's ambition while many also faulted tonal excesses, uneven character depth and an overstuffed, spectacle-driven approach, reviewers said.
The Bride! is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong/bloody violent content, sexual content/nudity and language and is reported as running 127 minutes (also described as 2 hours, 6 minutes).
The film is Gyllenhaal's follow-up to her 2021 directorial debut The Lost Daughter and arrives months after Guillermo del Toro's recent Frankenstein, sustaining current cinematic interest in new Frankenstein retellings.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the film celebratorily, using loaded praise (ferocious, electric), foregrounding Jessie Buckley’s multi-role performance and feminist readings, and comparing it favorably to contemporary adaptations. Editorial choices—selective detail, absence of substantive criticism, and emphasis on stylistic audacity—construct a predominantly positive, promotional narrative rather than a balanced review.
FAQ
The film stars Jessie Buckley as Ida/the Bride, Christian Bale as Frankenstein's monster (Frank), Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronious, Peter Sarsgaard as Detective Jake, Penélope Cruz as Myrna Malloy, Jake Gyllenhaal as Ronnie Reed, and others including John Magaro and Zlatko Burić.
In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's monster asks scientist Dr. Euphronious to create a companion by reviving murdered woman Ida, who becomes the Bride. Their romance sparks adventure, chases by police and mobsters, and inspires a women's uprising.
Critics praised performances by Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, and Gyllenhaal's ambition, but faulted tonal excesses, uneven character depth, an overstuffed plot, and a dragging detective subplot.
The film is rated R for strong/bloody violent content, sexual content/nudity, and language, with a runtime of 127 minutes (2 hours 6 minutes).
