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Bridegroom (film)

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Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled
Cover
Directed byLinda Bloodworth-Thomason
Produced byLinda Bloodworth-Thomason
Shane Bitney Crone
Ron White
StarringShane Bitney Crone
Thomas Lee Bridegroom
CinematographyLinda Bloodworth-Thomason
Edited byNicolas Romolini
Patricia Barnett
Brad Durante
Music byColleen McMahon
Production
company
Organica Music Group
Distributed byVirgil Films & Entertainment
Release date
  • April 23, 2013 (2013-04-23)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$385,000

Bridegroom (full title: Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled) is a 2013 American documentary film about the relationship between two young gay men, produced and directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.[1] Bridegroom premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2013,[2] and attracted further press coverage because its premiere screening at the festival was introduced by former President Bill Clinton.[3]

The film won the festival's Audience Award for Best Documentary Film.[4] The film jointly received the 2014 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary alongside Call Me Kuchu.

Synopsis

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Bridegroom chronicles the story of Shane Bitney Crone and his partner Thomas Lee "Tom" Bridegroom, who died in 2011 following an accidental fall from the rooftop of a four-story apartment building in Los Angeles. After Bridegroom's death, Crone found himself cut off and deprived of any legal protection. The film tells the story of their 6-year-long relationship, and the struggles Crone faced after Bridegroom's death, including the family not allowing Crone to attend the funeral of his life partner.[5]

Production

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The film had its origins in It Could Happen to You, a short film Crone released on YouTube in 2012 to mark the first anniversary of Bridegroom's death.[6] Following extensive promotion of the video through social networking, Bloodworth-Thomason, who had once met the couple at a wedding in Palm Springs, California, contacted Crone about expanding it into a full-length film.[7] Production began in the summer of 2012.[7]

The film's budget of $384,375 was raised on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter, outperforming its $300,000 goal and becoming the most-funded documentary film project in the history of crowd-funding to date.[8]

Music

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The songs used in the film include original music from the couple's friends; Colleen McMahon (solo and a duet with Tom), Ben Rector (performed by Colleen and Shane), Allison Gray (with Tom on keyboard), several snippets of Tom's own recordings, and a song from Adam Lambert who had met Shane after seeing "It Could Happen To You" on YouTube.[9] Other original songs are performed by Benjy Gaither, Margo Rey, Nathan Young, and Lana Ranahan. The soundtrack also includes popular music from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Fun. The soundtrack is listed on iMDb as follows:[10]

No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Same Love" (produced by Ryan Lewis)Ben HaggertyMacklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert 
2."When a Heart Breaks"Ben RectorShane Bitney Crone & Colleen McMahon 
3."Carry On" (produced by Jeff Bhasker)Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff & Jeff BhaskerFun. 
4."Outlaws of Love" (produced by Rune Westberg)Adam Lambert, Rune Westberg & BC JeanAdam Lambert 
5."The Dance"Tony Arata & Benjy GaitherNathan Young 
6."Here With You"Benjy GaitherBenjy Gaither 
7."This Holiday Night"Margo Rey & Barrett YeretsianMargo Rey 
8."You Belong to Me"Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart & Benjy GaitherMargo Rey 
9."Beautiful Boy"Colleen McMahonColleen McMahon 
10."The Christmas Song" (originally performed by Mel Tormé)Mel Tormé & Bob WellsThomas Bridegroom & Colleen McMahon 
11."La Mamma Morta"Umberto Giordano & Benjy GaitherLana Ranahan 

The original song "If I Fall" performed by Tom and Allison Gray in a scene in the film was never studio recorded, but a video of a home performance of the full song was posted on YouTube in November 2013.[11]

Reception

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Bridegroom received very positive reviews; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 82% "fresh" rating.[12] On Metacritic, the film has an 85/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

Bridegroom has been positively reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and Variety. "The documentary 'Bridegroom,' written and directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (of Designing Women fame), is a poignant, powerful tale of first love and untimely death as well as a practical, frankly undeniable, plea for marriage equality.... Despite the pain, sadness and vast emotional upheaval depicted here, Bridegroom is also a movie filled with hope and passion, dignity and pride, and many stirring pockets of joy."[14]

Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "Inspired by a viral YouTube video and deftly directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (Designing Women), Bridegroom is about an unmarried gay couple in their 20s and what happens when one of them dies. That's the simple summary of this simply told but exceptionally moving documentary. What 'Bridegroom' celebrates is not simply gay rights; it's the human spirit."[15] Another review stated, "For many, it's precisely the sort of emotional eye-opener needed for young people to find inspiration and naysayers to reconsider their attitudes.".[16] The reviewer went on to say, "In lieu of telling the story via simple white captions, the documentary relies on straightforward talking-head interviews with Crone's family and the couple's shared circle of friends, who describe how these two closeted small-town guys clicked when they met in Los Angeles, quickly forming the kind of relationship that romantics everywhere envy."

Distribution

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Bridegroom made its television premiere on October 27, 2013, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.[17] The film was released for instant streaming on Netflix and on DVD on November 19, 2013.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "An American Love Story". The Huffington Post. June 27, 2012.
  2. ^ "Here Are the 22 Films Premiering in the Viewpoints Section of the 2013 Festival". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Bill Clinton Introduces 'Bridegroom,' Shane Bitney Crone's Documentary, At Tribeca Film Festival". Huffington Post, April 24, 2013.
  4. ^ "Tribeca: 'The Rocket', 'Bridegroom' Win Audience Awards". The Hollywood Reporter, April 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Bridegroom at IMDb
  6. ^ "Gay Man Honors Boyfriend's Death With Poignant Video Noting Lack Of Rights Offered To Unwed Same-Sex Couples". Huffington Post, May 8, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Linda Bloodworth Thomason Directing Marriage-Equality Doc 'Bridegroom'". The Hollywood Reporter, August 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Williamson, Kit (January 22, 2013). "GLBT Filmmakers Kick Open the Kickstarter Closet". The Huffington Post.
  9. ^ www.4music.com Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Bridegroom Soundtrack on iMDb
  11. ^ "If I Fall (full song) Allison Gray and Tom Bridegroom - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Bridegroom at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved December 18, 2013
  13. ^ Bridegroom at Metacritic Edit this at Wikidata Retrieved December 18, 2013
  14. ^ "Review: 'Bridegroom' a poignant tale of gay partner's loss". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  15. ^ DeWitt, David (October 3, 2013). "A Heartbreaking Loss for One and All: 'Bridegroom,' About an Unmarried Gay Couple". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "'Bridegroom' Review: Kickstarter Empowers Outsider Story of Gay Couple". Variety. October 8, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Bibel, Sara (October 3, 2013). "OWN Presents A Night of Programming About Being Gay in America on Sunday, October 27". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013.
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