New Bridesmaids comedy packs loads of laughs
By Tribute on May 13, 2011 | 2 Comments
Getting married is a time that most women would rather remember for trying on dresses, drinking champagne and rejoicing at new beginnings. Bridesmaids—the hilarious new comedy starring Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig—instead chronicles the neurotic, stressful, and emotionally rocky times that come before the big day. And in the case of Bridesmaids, the pre-wedding preparations rarely go according to plan.
Known for playing shrill, manic women on SNL, Wiig goes to town in Bridesmaids, using her snippy attitude and loopy comedic energy from SNL to make her character Annie, not only hysterically funny, but also relatable. The results are, more often than not, sublime.
Wiig’s Annie is the embodiment of the expression, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” She’s never committed to a man, her bakery business floundered during the recession, and she stares in envy at beaming newlyweds over the counter of the jewelry store where she works. The situation doesn’t get any better when she’s chosen to be her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) Maid of Honour. But the humour does.
From there, Bridesmaids steers through two types of comedy. The first is a crass raunchy fest of situational comedy between Annie and her fellow bridesmaids including the disgruntled sexpot Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey); sugar-sweet Becca (Ellie Kemper), Lillian’s sister-in-law to be, Megan (Melissa McCarthy, who almost steals the whole movie), and the shallow socialite Helen (Rose Byrne), keen to outstrip Annie’s rank as Lillian’s BFF. Annie’s attempts to shower the girls with fun pre-wedding experiences like flying to Vegas and bridal gown fittings go awry in hilarious fashion, ending with intoxication, and uncontrollable diarrhea and vomit. Then again, this is a comedy from producer Judd Apatow, of Superbad and Knocked Up fame.
The second type is an endearing romantic comedy between Annie and an Irish cop named Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd), who is perhaps the nicest character to ever stem from an Apatow production. These two segments, however, feel stilted when director Paul Feig (the creator of Freaks and Geeks) constantly shifts the tone when moving between them, making the film feel longer than it already is at 125 minutes.
But this variety allows Wiig, who co-wrote the script with Annie Mumolo, the chance to prove that she is not only a versatile comedian who can be biting and vulnerable at once, but also a terrific actress. Anchored by Wiig and a hilarious ensemble, including Jon Hamm, whose character makes Don Draper look like a complete angel, Bridesmaids is sure to be one of the top funniest films on your list this year.
‑Jordan Adler
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Looking forward to seeing this weekend !
This movie is hysterically funny. You won’t be disappointed!