By Scott Stiffler
Before his sprint to the podium to pick up that screenwriting Oscar for “American Beauty” — and before he created the belated HBO show “Six Feet Under,” Alan Ball penned this considerably less dark tale.
“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” splits its focus between the comedy and the drama wrung from the lives of five contemplative bridesmaids who ditch the reception and retreat to the bedroom of a mansion somewhere in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Far from the maddening, alcohol-plowed crowd, they let loose with a series cutting observations on all the biggies: sex, love, sisterhood, marriage, religion and…sex.
The cast of newcomers is directed by veteran John Gallagher, who over the past 30 years has nurtured and/or discovered talent including Amanda Peet, Gretchen Mol, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary. Will the five relatively unknown women occupying those bridesmaids’ dresses be the stars of tomorrow? Darla Delane, Allie Dunbar, Kate Eisenhower, Krissy Garber and Lauren Schacher certainly hope so.
