Bridesmaids
I actually saw this one nearly a week ago... just now getting the chance to ramble on about it....
So Bridesmaids? Yeah, the female version of The Hangover? Hmm, no, actually it really wasn't (though The Hangover Part II probably wishes it was this good). That's all I heard about the movie prior to seeing it myself- "it's hilarious, it's like The Hangover...with chicks!!!". The problem with that is, that it's not really true. Yeah the movie revolves around a central group of people- in this case, ladies- looking to have a good time before one of their number gets married. And yeah, the movie specializes in dirty/potty humor... to a degree... (it also has a heaping helping of heart to it... not that The Hangover didn't...but it's more evident here)... but that is where the comparisons really end. Bridesmaids isn't nearly as original as the first Hangover movie, and it isn't nearly as shitty as the second. In truth, Bridesmaids isn't really original in the least. The only novel spin on it is how much dirty/raunchy/potty humor there is. Otherwise, it's kind of the typical female-centric...or wedding-centric comedy- viewed through the lens of the maid of honor who just can't seem to find Mr. Right... or in this instance do anything particularly well... due to her habit of self-destruction. The themes on display? The meaning of friendship, female rivalry/insecurity, and what it means to grow up/move on. Nothing really novel there.
Doesn't mean it's bad though. Where Bridesmaids does well is that it takes a familiar concept, adds enough spice to mix it up a touch, and then goes and kicks the crap out of it. And by that I mean, it does it really well. True, it does fall into typical chick-flick pitfalls: the jilted maid of honor? General female cattiness? Prince charming being so apparently right for jilted maid of honor that she- of course- blows it/he's unavailable/other over tired hurdle that makes Mr. Right Mr. Wrong? It doesn't do so to a fault. The movie isn't about, for example, the perpetual maid of honor whose sole ambition in life is apparently to become a bride. No, Kristen Wiig's Annie has a lot more depth and ambition than that. For starters, her ambition of the moment is that she just wants to get her life back on track... and hold onto some pride while doing so (as well as her best friend). She wants to figure out why everyone else has everything so worked out while she toils away after blowing her shot at her dream job. And you know what? That's a damn universal feeling. Many, many people have felt that way, and Director Paul Feig, Wiig, and company capture that just-below-the-surface despair and dread expertly.
Most of the typical tried and true themes and conventions of the chick-flick genre (if you want to call it that) are played here for pretty good comedy. Which is nice to see because it could have gone so so so wrong. Among the things that Bridesmaids does well is make you feel the awkwardness of the awkward situations it shows. When Annie does something you know she'll regret, you can really feel her pain. Which, like I said, is a nice touch. But again, if you're looking for a truly original film, you won't find it here (other than a particularly awesome gross-out humor sequence involving the titular bridesmaids at a dress fitting... funny stuff). And yet, like I said, it wasn't as though the movie was particularly bad. It was actually pretty good. Fun at least. I think the reason it was so much fun was the chemistry between Wiig's Annie and (Wiig's real-life friend) Maya Rudolph's Lillian. They really seemed like they were friends (because, I suppose they are) and that easy chemistry made it easy to follow the movie where it was taking you. Actually, Wiig established pretty good chemistry with everyone in the movie. Nathan O'Dowd's cop with a heart of gold, Officer Rhodes, Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson's brother-sister roomies Gil and Brynn, and of course, Rose Byrne's so uppity...so super perfect Helen. All good stuff. In a way, Wiig really carries the movie (other than the scenes that Melissa McCarthy absolutely steals as super...aggressive... bridesmaid Megan), which given how much of an underrated talent she is, is not a bad thing in the least (if only MacGruber would have let Wiig shine more). In lesser hands, I imagine the movie would have fallen completely flat. But Wiig makes it more than watchable, she makes it pretty damn enjoyable. In fact, had the movie not ended on such a ridiculously corny note, I might have really, really liked it. As it was I thought it was a good time and a lot funnier than some of the movies Hollywood has trotted out recently.
In the end, I suppose, aside from Wiig, what the movie has going for it is that it did what it did really well. And while it wouldn't typically be my type of movie, I'm definitely glad I saw it. As I've said before, there's really nothing wrong with doing something familiar...so long as you do it really well.
Grade: B+
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