Always A Bridesmaid

Year: 2000

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Davenport

Review

a female version of sherman’s march, and davenport, who wrote, edited and directed the film, acknowledges as much in the credits wherein she thanks ross mcelwee. like sherman’s march it’s a very intimate film that focuses on the relationships of the filmmaker. in this film davenport is obsessed with the idea of marriage, whereas mcelwee is more obsessed with women in general. at times davenport is a pathetic character because her obsession is unattractive and illogical, but by the end of the film she’s imparted enough of her personality through the film that we can’t help but understand where she’s coming from. she seems to have matured by the film’s end and that helps, but she’s also humanized her worries and obsessions effectively enough that we can sympathize with her. it’s a well edited and constructed documentary and it never gets boring so it’s worth watching for those reasons alone. really, though, the payoff of this film is its ability to raise questions and bring in alternate viewpoints which help the viewer work through his/her own questions about relationships and marriage. recommended.