To be honest with you all, I really was not interested in seeing this movie, but my sister and my girlfriend dragged me to it. I really thought it would be a much better time for them to bond without me, but well, they disagreed and so I went. Cut to the actual film...I laughed so hard there were actual tears running down my cheeks. I fully expected this to be a chick flick but it surpassed that title 100%. Yes, there was definitely some chick flickittude to it, but overwhelmingly it was a fantastic comedy that went over the top a little but more than made up for it the rest of the time. Truly an amazingly pleasant surprise.
Our self-destructive lead character Annie (Kristen Wiig) is informed that "hitting bottom is a good thing," but I think we all know that's a bunch of baloney, a heap of hooey. Character building can go fudge itself if it means one has to go thru what Annie does just to learn valuable life lessons. Annie's had a bad time of it. Her bakery shop went south. Her boyfriend is this self-absorbed, belittling, non-committing assclown. She rooms with an odd and portly British brother and sister whose presence, let's face it, can't possibly make anyone feel comfortable. Her current job as sales clerk at a jewelry store is as fulfilling as it sounds. And, to point out the cherry on her misery cake, Annie's best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), is getting married, with Annie tapped as the maid of honor.
Oh, does Annie have issues. She's one of life's self-saboteurs; she can be blamed for much of the bad joss what's befallen her. She loves her best friend dearly, but the cheap, pathetic side of her can't help but be resentful that their lives are going opposite ways. And since the hits keep on coming, why not now introduce the magnificent Helen (a very good Rose Byrne). Helen is the gorgeous trophy wife of Lillian's fiance's boss, and she's struck up a friendship with Lillian. Helen, wealthy as Croesus, supernaturally efficient at organizing weddings, and determined not to be upstaged. Helen and Annie immediately get on like houses on fire. Annie senses that Helen is poaching her best friend. Out comes the competitive streak. Except that Annie isn't as straight-faced sneaky as Helen. Watch Annie fall apart.
The theater I went to became sheer bedlam, rocking with belly laughs so raucous that entire chunks of dialogue went unheard. So that means something. Unless you're a friggin' recluse, you must have some down-to-earth women friends. These bridesmaids are drawn from stereotypes, but these actresses are all so funny. I can point out several of my women pals who fit several of these molds to a damn T. The fantastic cast works so well together. I haven't laughed so hard in years as when the bridal shop disaster went down. Anyway, this shouldn't come as a shock: Women sleep around, and often exercise the right to be vulgar when in comfortable company, and they certainly engage in scatological humor. Wendi McLendon-Covey ("Rita") is one of the bridesmaids, a discontented housewife with unruly kids, and although she's not in the movie a lot, she makes an impression (especially with that "crack the blanket in half" line). But it's the unfiltered Melissa McCarthy ("Megan"), built like a pugnacious fire hydrant, who ends up stealing the scenes.
Not having watched SNL in forever long, I didn't know Kristen Wiig from Shatner's wig. But now she's fixed on my radar, and now I expect this same level of funny out of her. Kristen Wiig is amazing in BRIDESMAIDS, co-writing it, performing in it. Her character is at turns petty and self-pitying and abusive, and yet there's a pained vulnerability and an innate likability that makes you invest in her. She's so sad sack. You long for her to get her sh-together, and you pull for her to get with that charming highway patrol cop with the unexpected Irish accent. But she's so resistant, so stuck in her rut. You pull for her.
Setting aside Wiig's ability to emote (which apparently surprised people left and right), her comic talents are what separate her from the pack. She has exquisite comic timing. What she does in that airplane sequence is spectacular stuff. And she exhibits marvelous chemistry with Maya Rudolph. Their friendship feels real; it helps to ground the story. I think this is a huge turning point for Kristen Wiig's career, if she rides this good momentum. And BRIDESMAIDS, it's one of them rare animals, a chick flick that a guy can sit thru without feeling that he's fulfilling an obligation to the girlfriend or the wife.
The DVD gives you the option to watch the Theatrical Version or the Unrated Version, and also the following bonus stuff:
Lively Audio Commentary with director Paul Feig, co-writer Annie Mumolo, and actors Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ellie Kemper
3 Deleted Scenes, including Annie on a horrible blind date with Paul Rudd (totaling 00:07:48 minutes)
5 Extended & Alternate Scenes, including more grossness at the bridal shop (totaling 00:08:38 minutes)
Gag Reel (00:03:44 minutes)
Line-O-Rama repeated takes, actors trying out ad-libbed lines (00:12:08)
Cholodecki's Commercial a faux commercial advertising the jewelry store that Annie gets fired from (00:01:00)
Buy Bridesmaids (Universal's 100th Anniversary) (2011) Now
Oh...my...goodness...this movie was the funniest thing I've seen IN the theater in a long time. I usually wait for movies to come out on DVD, but this looked pretty interesting, and I wasn't disappointed. It was hilarious!Finally, a film that shows women are funny too. Kristen Wiggs is stellar, her character is so messed up, but you know there is hope for her. I was sort of expecting a rom-com, but no, this was Sex in the City meets the Hangover. There is a part where they're going to Vegas, but don't quit make it, I would of LOVED to see them all go to Vegas. I don't think that place would be the same.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for entertainment that just makes you laugh. And do keep an eye on the actress playing Megan, she is hysterical. I've seen her in other movies, as a supporting character looking completely different and much more subdued; in bridesmaids she is unfiltered and funny as hell!
Go see this movie, you'll be glad you did.
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Finally, I've seen something that stars Kristen Wiig and wasn't a complete disappointment.I loved her on "Saturday Night Live" and I'm always amazed at how talented she is. In BRIDESMAIDS, she not only stars but also shares writing credit...which is another reason I enjoyed this movie so much:
Only a woman would have written this.
As crude as BRIDESMAIDS sometimes is, rivaling male-oriented gross-out comedies like THE HANGOVER and such, this is still a story that only a woman would write. My case in point: the scene where Kristen feels the need to keep snatching the microphone from best friend Maya Rudolph's rich soon-to-be sister-in-law. The need to assert just how much these girls love and respect and care about Maya...only a woman would have written that. Guys wouldn't understand how much that means to a woman. Male writers would've just come up with schtick to embarass the girls.
So BRIDESMAIDS ends up being a fairly interesting insight into women and how they think.
It's also really funny!
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Went to see Bridesmaids at the theater tonight. Within minutes, I knew I'd be going back to see it tomorrow, and I will own it the day the DVD is released! I'm not going to rehash the plot others have already done it justice. I will say that I have never laughed so hard in my life! Most "comedies" seem childish to me, and by the midpoint I'm bored with it. I didn't want Bridesmaids to end. My face hurts, my ribs hurt I laughed that hard. It's a film with characters who seem more like someone you might know thirty-something women unashamed of being thirty-something women with all the craziness that goes along with it. This is THE funniest movie I have ever seen!Save 10% Off
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