The Decoy Bride (Blu-ray Review)
Film 
With one wedding ruined, Lara and James head to the Scottish island of Hegg. James’ bestselling book was set on the island and makes it sound like a beautiful wonderful place. Lara’s management team arrives first and realizes that the island is nothing like it sounds in the book. Steve (Michael Urie) gets to work quickly, focusing on a rundown castle. By the time the groom arrives, the castle has been transformed by Steve and now is exactly what the book promised.
The Island of Hegg houses a very small population. There is one bed and breakfast on the island and it is run by local Katie (Kelly MacDonald) and her mother. Kelly has been recently dumped and just returned home to the island. The wedding preparations continue but obsessed paparazzi Marco has been seen near the church in a tree. The group decides the best way to get rid of him is to give him a wedding to photograph. Lara realizes that photographers have found them on the island and she disappears. Steve asks Katie to step in and pretend to be Lara. They don’t tell the groom, hoping it will add realism to the event and his decoy bride is hidden behind a veil.
After being wed, Katie and James are locked in the castle while Steve announces the event. Katie and James do not get along and insult each other in great detail. They do not appear to be a very good couple. After escaping the castle, they head back to the B&B where they learn a lot about each other. It is also revealed that Katie accidentally signed her own name on the license and the two are actually married. They seek out the priest, who is able to undo the union, but it may not be what the bride or groom really wants. In typical romantic comedy fashion, they fight and James leaves the island. The question is will he marry Lara as planned or will he return to Hegg to seek out and apologize to Katie?
I had planned to be either disappointed or surprised and I was pleasantly surprised. Decoy Bride turned out to be a pretty cute movie, although often predictable. James turned out to be a pretty likable guy and I started rooting for him and Katie while not wishing ill of Lara. Actress Kelly MacDonald (and her accent) is very endearing. The only part I did have an issue with was Lara appearing to fall for the paparazzi Marco. It’s unclear if she’s so shallow that she loves someone for being obsessed with her but the man is not attractive and I don’t see that romance happening. It’s a simple movie with some silly plot points that I really enjoyed.
Video
The Decoy Bride is presented in widescreen format 2.40:1 ratio. The Blu-ray is acceptable but not exceptional by any means. Flesh tones are accurate and even and there is never a problem of visibility in daylight or in darker interior shots. There aren’t the typical CGI effects and the film is never especially impressive visually, but I have no specific complaints either.
Audio
Extras
The Decoy Bride is a little light in the special features department. Until you watch the features, it seems like more material than it actually is.
- Interviews – A significant list of interviews with actors, the director, producer and writers.
- Behind the Scenes – A behind the scenes look at filming The Decoy Bride. This is not the usual featurette you’d expect but mostly random footage of the film being shot. It’s like someone’s home movies of the film-making process – way behind the scenes.
- Deleted scene – A single very short deleted scene is available.
- FX Shots – Brief clips show photographers added and the castle exterior being extended digitally. With no explanation, this is not a very enjoyable feature to watch.
- Trailer
Summary
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