Bridesmaids (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Bridesmaids' (produced by Judd Apatow, co-written by Kristen Wiig, & directed by Paul Feig) is about the events leading up to Lillian's wedding. Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has been asked the 'question' by her longtime boyfriend. For her, the obvious choice of her maid of honor is lifelong pal, Annie (Wiig, in a star-making turn), whose life is in a downward spiral. Her boyfriend ditched her; her business has failed; has no $$; hates her current job; struggles to get along with her mom (Jill Clayburgh's final performance; which I thought was in 2010's Love & Other Drugs); hates her roommates; car is a rust bucket; & her no strings attached f*ck buddy (John Hamm) treats her miserably. The only constant in her life has been Lillian. And so, Annie accepts being Maid of Honor.
All the while, Annie must contend with the rest of Lillian's oddball bridal party. They include rich bitch, Helen (a fun Rose Byrne), who can do no wrong; & Megan (a hysterical Melissa McCarthy), Lillian's crude soon-to-be sister-in-law. Though she IS Maid of Honor, Annie finds stiff competition from Helen, a Type A personality with tons of $$ who has latched onto Lillian as her best friend. See, Helen turns everything into a competition: speeches, bridesmaid gowns, gifts, etc.. Annie tries to prove her friendship to Lillian, but plans go awry; mostly because her own life is in shambles. And she's also juggling a new romance with charming police officer Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd). Whether it's dress fittings gone wrong, a plane incident, or a bridal shower mishap ... we go on a wild ride of hilarity & touching drama as Annie tries to get her life on track, as well as proving her worth to Lillian.
'Bridesmaids' isn't perfect. But my GOD, I have not laughed this hard during a movie in a long, long time (missing stretches of dialogue from uproarious laughter inside my theater). 'Bridesmaids' has been likened to female versions of The Hangover, 40 Yr. Old Virgin, Knocked Up, & other crude, part hilarious/part sentimental Apatow productions. To this I say, who gives a crap about the comparisons. Bottom line, this is one funny movie! The characters, the free-form conversations, the comedy set pieces, even the gross-out stuff (some of it is too outrageous to be believed) ... I loved it all.
Much of the humor in 'Bridesmaids' comes from the kind of awful awkwardness that happens in everyday situations; the awkwardness of sustaining friendships. You'll remember the opening sex scene; the back & forth Maid of Honor speeches (Annie & Helen trying to one-up each other), a tennis scene ("get your shit together, Carol!"), the gown fitting (and ensuing street scene, lol), the entire plane sequence (my favorite), Annie's behavior at the bridal shower, or her driving back & forth to get Rhodes attention. You'll remember those gut-busting segments, if not the ripe dialogue.
And for all this talk of comedy, there are poignant moments, as well. At the heart of the film is the flailing friendship btwn. Annie & Lillian. I think Lillian knows that Annie might struggle with the pressures of being her Maid of Honor, but she wanted her to have the role anyway; because she IS her best friend; and she knows that anyone else with that title would devastate her. Even best friend relationships have lulls over the years. Life offers inevitable changes, & friends have to adapt. One scene that sticks out is the quiet conversation btwn. Lillian & Annie on a bus after the plane fiasco. It's a tough conversation. And the camera was right up in their faces for every uneasy reaction. The depiction of this friendship feels real.
I also dug the like/hate relationship btwn. Annie & Helen. They'll never be "besties". But perhaps they can 'manage'. And the push/pull romance btwn. Annie & Officer Rhodes is well-handled. Most romantic entanglements in films are magically & expediently fixed for a happy ending without any context of what changed in their hearts. So yeah, some degree of catharsis is achieved amid all the R-rated insanity. I obviously can't relate to Annie, but I saw her pain, & understand the film's intent to show her trying to dig out of a hole as the important relationships in her life hang in the balance.
But really, for me, it was all about the comic situations & charismatic 'everywoman' performances. The romantic element is cool. The examination on Annie teetering on the edge on insanity is intuitively handled. The tricky bonds btwn. women are conveyed in a truthful, meaningful way. But I gotta come back to the raunchy comedy that got me (and the entire theater) choking on laughter. Bridesmaids' brand of humor (Judd Apatow) may not come across as riotous while viewing it, say, in your living room. But movies were originally meant to be experienced in a full theater; and my experience the other night was a hell of a lot of fun. I haven't laughed so hard in a while. I actually ... can't remember the last movie that I laughed this hard at.
All the while, Annie must contend with the rest of Lillian's oddball bridal party. They include rich bitch, Helen (a fun Rose Byrne), who can do no wrong; & Megan (a hysterical Melissa McCarthy), Lillian's crude soon-to-be sister-in-law. Though she IS Maid of Honor, Annie finds stiff competition from Helen, a Type A personality with tons of $$ who has latched onto Lillian as her best friend. See, Helen turns everything into a competition: speeches, bridesmaid gowns, gifts, etc.. Annie tries to prove her friendship to Lillian, but plans go awry; mostly because her own life is in shambles. And she's also juggling a new romance with charming police officer Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd). Whether it's dress fittings gone wrong, a plane incident, or a bridal shower mishap ... we go on a wild ride of hilarity & touching drama as Annie tries to get her life on track, as well as proving her worth to Lillian.
'Bridesmaids' isn't perfect. But my GOD, I have not laughed this hard during a movie in a long, long time (missing stretches of dialogue from uproarious laughter inside my theater). 'Bridesmaids' has been likened to female versions of The Hangover, 40 Yr. Old Virgin, Knocked Up, & other crude, part hilarious/part sentimental Apatow productions. To this I say, who gives a crap about the comparisons. Bottom line, this is one funny movie! The characters, the free-form conversations, the comedy set pieces, even the gross-out stuff (some of it is too outrageous to be believed) ... I loved it all.
Much of the humor in 'Bridesmaids' comes from the kind of awful awkwardness that happens in everyday situations; the awkwardness of sustaining friendships. You'll remember the opening sex scene; the back & forth Maid of Honor speeches (Annie & Helen trying to one-up each other), a tennis scene ("get your shit together, Carol!"), the gown fitting (and ensuing street scene, lol), the entire plane sequence (my favorite), Annie's behavior at the bridal shower, or her driving back & forth to get Rhodes attention. You'll remember those gut-busting segments, if not the ripe dialogue.
And for all this talk of comedy, there are poignant moments, as well. At the heart of the film is the flailing friendship btwn. Annie & Lillian. I think Lillian knows that Annie might struggle with the pressures of being her Maid of Honor, but she wanted her to have the role anyway; because she IS her best friend; and she knows that anyone else with that title would devastate her. Even best friend relationships have lulls over the years. Life offers inevitable changes, & friends have to adapt. One scene that sticks out is the quiet conversation btwn. Lillian & Annie on a bus after the plane fiasco. It's a tough conversation. And the camera was right up in their faces for every uneasy reaction. The depiction of this friendship feels real.
I also dug the like/hate relationship btwn. Annie & Helen. They'll never be "besties". But perhaps they can 'manage'. And the push/pull romance btwn. Annie & Officer Rhodes is well-handled. Most romantic entanglements in films are magically & expediently fixed for a happy ending without any context of what changed in their hearts. So yeah, some degree of catharsis is achieved amid all the R-rated insanity. I obviously can't relate to Annie, but I saw her pain, & understand the film's intent to show her trying to dig out of a hole as the important relationships in her life hang in the balance.
But really, for me, it was all about the comic situations & charismatic 'everywoman' performances. The romantic element is cool. The examination on Annie teetering on the edge on insanity is intuitively handled. The tricky bonds btwn. women are conveyed in a truthful, meaningful way. But I gotta come back to the raunchy comedy that got me (and the entire theater) choking on laughter. Bridesmaids' brand of humor (Judd Apatow) may not come across as riotous while viewing it, say, in your living room. But movies were originally meant to be experienced in a full theater; and my experience the other night was a hell of a lot of fun. I haven't laughed so hard in a while. I actually ... can't remember the last movie that I laughed this hard at.