Friday Film Review-Bridesmaids

Friday, 04 November 2011

It was with apprehension that I sat down to watch Bridesmaids last night, what if I didn't like it? What if it wasn't funny? But to my relief, this film was f*cking hilarious! I even found myself laughing at times when my better judgment was telling me to stop. Bridesmaids works off the premise that chick flicks don't have to be stupid, cliched and cheesy and this premise works well for it. Annie (Kristen Wiig) has been dumped by her boyfriend and has lost her business when her lifelong friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged and makes her a maid of honor. She has competition in the form of wealthy and uppity Helen (Rose Byrne) who always seem to be upstaging her. The other bridesmaids are a motley crew consisting of Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Rita (Wendy McLendon-Covey) and Becca (Ellie Kemper). Life seems to spiral out of control for Annie as the wedding plans go on, they get kicked off a plane and get food poisoning while trying on bridesmaids dresses, only to name a few of the antics they get up to. What really works about Bridesmaids, though, is the natural ease of the dialogue between the characters, Wiig and Rudolph are believable as best friends and even Ted (Jon Hamm), over the top as he is, does a good job of being that asshole that we all know. It also functions as a love story between the women rather than between the couples, indeed, Lillian's fiance barely makes an appearance and even Annie's love interest takes a back seat in the plot. While Bridesmaids has been hailed as a gross-out comedy for women, and it is, it's really drawing power comes from the realistic approach to love, sex and romance. The characters make mistakes and feel lonely, in and out of relationships. Rose Byrne is perfect as Helen, being, at once, snotty and vulnerable and Wiig alternates between a subdued and understated Annie and an outrageous and outspoken one. While Bridesmaids does have some ridiculous and perhaps out of place scenes (the British brother and sister who bathe together?) it is overall that rare story that is both funny and sweet, without being saccharine. 

Bottom Line: If you haven't seen it, don't waste any more time!