Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Jilted bride seeks revenge; language, excessive drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Bride of the Year
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In BRIDE OF THE YEAR, Lienke (Carine Rous) is a 40ish wedding cake baker who is engaged to a loutish, egotistical heir named Zander (Armand Aucamp). He's overly attached to his overbearing mom, Norma (Hanli Rolfes), allowing her to run his life. Around 30 years before, Norma was runner-up in the Bride of the Year contest and is maniacally bent on making sure her son's bride wins the contest. When Zander is found in bed with a co-worker minutes before the wedding ceremony, Lienke leaves in shreds. Now, all she wants is revenge and, even though she isn't married, the sweetest comeuppance she can think of will be for her, with not a husband to her name, to somehow win the Bride of the Year contest. Who will she marry to win the prize?
Is It Any Good?
The problem with Bride of the Year is that it's hard to stay invested in a story that is at its core based on a totally unbelievable premise. There are probably women who would go to the ends of the earth to be named the "best bride" by some random judges. Back in 2001, a South Africa wedding website established just such a contest. But it's difficult to imagine that a single woman, without even a boyfriend to her name, would make it her primary, highly time-consuming focus to win a contest that has as its key requirement one important detail: She needs to be married. The $50,000 prize money sounds nice, but what would she do with the second honeymoon grand prize?
To enjoy this 98-minute jumble, one must accept her mania for this project. One must also accept that a pretty, 40ish woman would rather spend her time and energy planning a fake wedding—from the dress to the crystal to the flowers to the photographer—in order to win a dubious title than living her life to the fullest.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the difference between competitions that reward skills and competitions that reward intangibles, like prettiness and relative poise.
Lienke wants to win a contest she doesn't qualify for simply to keep her ex-fiancé and his mother from winning the contest. Is revenge ever worth it?
Lienke and Frank gradually come to have feelings for each other as they engage in a project together. What do you think that suggests about how people get to know and respect each other over time?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 15, 2026
- Cast : Carine Rous , Bouwer Bosch , Hanli Rolfes
- Director : Joshua Rous
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , African Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 11, 2026
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