Don’t be fooled by the title: “Bridesmaids” is NOT your typical chick-flick, rom-com special.
Yes, six of the main players are female. Yes, it does involve planning a wedding. And yes, you may only see the groom of said wedding for all of about 3 minutes during the entire 2-hour-plus movie. But “Bridesmaids” will have both the ladies and the gentlemen crying with laughter.
OK, maybe only the females will shed tears of laughter, but still, the boys will enjoy the raunchy and obscene take on a typical “Happily Ever After” storyline as well.
“Bridesmaids” was born from the comedic minds of Producer Judd Apatow (“Superbad,” “Knocked Up”) and current SNL leading lady Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the script.
Wiig plays Annie, a thirty-something woman who’s going through a rough patch in life. Her self-owned bakery shut down due to the recession and her best friend from way-back-when, Lillian (former SNL cast mate Maya Rudolph), has accepted a marriage proposal that leaves Annie hating the fact that she’s still single — although some of the most memorable scenes in the movie involve Ted (the surprisingly funny Jon Hamm), a complete jerk of a boy-toy to Annie.
When Annie is asked to be the Maid of Honor at Lillian’s wedding, Annie is forced to live up to high expectations (with a low bank account) and compete with a new friend of Lillian’s, Helen (Rose Byrne), for the coveted job — all while pleasing three other bridesmaids (Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) — all while losing her apartment, her car and, perhaps, even her best friend along the way.
What makes “Bridesmaids” work so well is it blends the perfect amount of love-story — Annie undoubtedly finds the right man in the end, an Irish cop (Chris O’ Dowd) who can’t help running into her all the time (or pulling her over, for that matter) — with just the right amount of comedy, which may be extreme at times but not so over-the-top that it creates for dumb comedy.
“Bridesmaids” is a perfect ensemble movie and all six women hold their own. But it is Wiig who is perfect in her role as Annie. With a subtle look here or a minor comment made there, Wiig is a great actress even beyond comedy, and I think she has yet to realize just how good she is. Wiig makes you feel for Annie as her life crumbles bit by bit, but also makes it easy for you to laugh along with her, not at her.
Aside from Wiig, McCarthy takes the cake with her performance as a bridesmaid. Her character Megan is so out-of-the-ordinary, and McCarthy truly delved in full force to play her. Megan is the sister of the groom and a macho one at that, but McCarthy brings an intense-yet-lovable quality to her character. McCarthy is fortunate to have some of the funniest lines in the movie, along with some of the film’s best and most bizarre moments.
So yes, in the end “Bridesmaids” does tie all its loose ends up in a picture-perfect way. And yes, everyone gets what they wanted and are able to make nice with each other. But the difference between “Bridesmaids” and the typical rom-com is that “Bridesmaids” proves that six ladies can create a great comedic film that appeals to both genders without playing second-best to the men in the film. Wiig and company did well their first time out of the gate, and I hope that the success of “Bridesmaids” paves the way for more female-driven comedies to come.
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