Bridegroom (film)

Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled
Cover
Directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
Produced by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
Shane Bitney Crone
Starring Shane Bitney Crone
Thomas Lee Bridegroom
Music by Colleen McMahon
Cinematography Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
Edited by Nicolas Romolini
Patricia Barnett
Brad Durante
Production
company
Organica Music Group
Distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment
Release date
  • April 23, 2013 (2013-04-23)
Running time
 80 minutes
Country United States
Language English
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.

Plot

Bridegroom chronicles the story of Shane Bitney Crone and his same-sex partner Thomas Lee "Tom" Bridegroom, who died in a tragic accident. 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

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

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. (link on YouTube)

Reception

Bridegroom received very positive reviews; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 82% "fresh" rating.[11] On Metacritic, the film has an 85/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]

Distribution

Bridegroom made its television premiere on October 27, 2013, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.[13] The film was released for instant streaming on Netflix and on DVD on November 19, 2013.[13]

References

  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 on 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. 1 2 "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. ↑ Bridegroom at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved December 18, 2013
  12. ↑ Bridegroom at Metacritic Retrieved December 18, 2013
  13. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (October 3, 2013). "OWN Presents A Night of Programming About Being Gay in America on Sunday, October 27". TV by the Numbers.
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