Toni is a one-note character. From the moment she introduces Amy to the family as her girlfriend (by making out with her in front of them), it is obvious to the viewer that Toni is using Amy to stick it to her family. It quickly becomes obvious to Amy, too, who in a quiet moment alone with Toni after they arrive, tells her not to use her as a prop in her rebellion. Toni assures her she isn't, but continues to behave like a self-centered ass, until Amy finally confronts her in front of her family, in a funny and entertaining scene.

Over the course of the film, Toni and Amy's storyline becomes more intriguing than it initially appears to be, mostly to Milano, who turns what could have been just another one-dimensional stereotype of a pot-smoking lesbian musician into a surprisingly interesting, three-dimensional character whom you like and respect by the end of the movie. We never really see the same character development in Toni, who is pretty much the same one-dimensional, attention-starved daddy's-little-rebel at the end of the movie that she was in the beginning (although Mazur does a good job embodying that role).

The chemistry between the two women is believable, especially in the scene where they're alone together at the lighthouse, but their relationship never really escapes the sense of impending doom that Toni's behavior inspires.

Overall, Kiss the Bride is a predictable but respectable addition to the dysfunctional family reunion genre. The acting is solid all around, and the production quality is surprisingly good for a low-budget film; it's just the writing and character development that's uneven. The lesbian storyline isn't the film's most prominent one, but in the first half at least, it gets a fair amount of attention--nothing to sneeze at given the dearth of decent lesbian characters on the big screen recently.

If you're a fan of the genre, or of Alyssa Milano, and don't mind an overambitious film with a few too many loose ends, then Kiss the Bride is definitely worth checking out.

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