I'm not sure what the reason is, but there seems a terrible detriment of comedies powered by a predominately female cast (good ones, anyway). Whether this is due to some Hollywood politics or whatever is beyond me, but out of the void to fill this... er... void comes Bridesmaids.
Can it shatter preconceived notions?
WHAT'S THIS MOVIE ABOUT?
Bridesmaids centers around Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig), a woman whose own mid-life troubles are compounded when her best friend Lilian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged. Floundering in her own life, Annie tries desperately to earn her keep as Maid of Honor, usually resulting in her just making things much worse. Throw in one terrible relationship (with an uncredited John Hamm), a pair of horrendous roommates, and a rivalry with one of Lilian new, and extremely wealthy friends (Rose Byrne), and Annie's life looks to be headed downward at an alarming clip. Of course, this being a comedy, Annie's implosion is as entertaining as it is distressing.
WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
Bridesmaids has almost unbearably long segments of unstoppable funny. Where many comedies tend to build up to a single big laugh in any given set piece, Bridesmaids had me rolling in the aisle as each one of the movies many train-wreck-like scenes went down. This is thanks to an amazing ensemble cast, specifically Kristen Wiig leading. She's likeable, relateable, but still indescribably funny. Melissa McCarthy also provides a breakout performance as Lilian's sister-in-law to be, Megan. Those train-wrecks I was talking about are typically anchored by her during their build-up, and even as solid as the rest of the supporting cast is, she tends to regularly eclipse them.
WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
All those incredibly long comedy bits inflate Bridesmaids to the point that, when it is time for the serious narrative bits, the points at which we see things really go to shit for Wiig's characters, the audience is so mentally exhausted that they seem tiresome. That's partially because this kind of sentimentality is a bit cliche' and we KNOW things are going to end up alright for all our ladies. This makes the last bit of the movie leading up to our finale drag a bit, but it's nothing too terrible.
ANYTHING ELSE?
I credit this movie with inventing my new favorite term... calling any and all sub sandwiches "big ol' bear sandwiches".
WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?
Bridesmaids is a film that's difficult to describe and to rate in a traditional sense. This is just a hilarious movie with great performances from top to bottom. It has some bits and some segments that are sure to surprise most, and delight even more. If you're looking to laugh (and why wouldn't you be) Bridesmaids should be your first choice if headed to the theater. It's a movie that needs to succeed.
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