Rush of Wedding Movies in May

May is quite a month for weddings. Winter is over and done with but the weather hasn't warmed up so much as to be oppressively hot. It's the perfect time for a spring wedding, and around the time most women's magazines will do their special wedding issues. Bridal fever has been caught by Hollywood this May as there are three wedding-centric comedies being released in the span of two weeks.

"Something Borrowed"

May 6 saw the release of the new comedy "Something Borrowed." In this film Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson play best friends who've known each other since college. Hudson's character is about to get married, which is naturally the cause for much excitement. Except there's one minor problem: Goodwin has been in love with the fiance, played by Colin Egglesfield, for years but never acted on it. The two had a near miss relationship even before Hudson snatched him up, leaving Goodwin feeling like he was snatched away from her. The film seems to have a bit of a "My Best Friend's Wedding" vibe to it, and looks to be cashing in mostly on awkward moments. The title is part of the list of good luck items that a bride is meant to have with her during the wedding: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a penny in her shoe. Of course in this context it takes on the double meaning of the something borrowed being the groom himself.

"Jumping the Broom"

Released the same weekend was "Jumping the Broom." An all African-American cast stars in this story of the coming together of two very different families. The bride, Sabrina (played by Paul Patton,) comes from a well off and affluent family. However the groom, Jason (played by Laz Anlso) is from the other side of the tracks. The two of them may be in love and ready to tie the knot, but that doesn't mean that their families are about to get along. Naturally the soon to be in-laws are quick to clash and hijinks ensue. The title of the film is taken from the African-American tradition of the bride and groom jumping over a broom at the end of the ceremony. While the true origin of this custom is unclear it was adopted by slaves who rarely were able to have formal ceremonies, and used the jumping of the broom in place of anything more lavish.

"Bridesmaids"

The previously mentioned films fall into the fairly standard romantic comedy tropes. On the more raunchy side of the scale is the May 13 release of "Bridesmaids." The producers have been pushing the idea of the film as a female equivalent of the hit comedy "The Hangover." In it a bride to be (played by Maya Rudolph) heads to Las Vegas with her maid of honor (Kristen Wiig) and four bridesmaids. What is supposed to be just a fun girl's night out becomes something far wilder than any of them were prepared for. Any other year this would probably have a good shot at being the big raunchy comedy event of the summer, however "The Hangover" has its own sequel releasing later on this year. Until then however this looks to be gunning for both male and female audiences by pushing the R rating and hoping the raunchy humor appeals across both genders.