Bridesmaids

Film: Bridesmaids

Starring: Kristen Wiig (Paul and Adventureland) and Rose Byrne (Insidious and Get Him To The Greek)

Director: Paul Feig (Unaccompanied Minors and I Am David)

U.S. Release: May 13th, 2011 (Rated R)

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 125 minutes


One trailer claims that Bridesmaids is the Hangover for women. Strong words for sure and a bold comparison nonetheless. Director Paul Feig is by no means the likely director for a comedic masterpiece. In fact, Feig's only directed 2 films over the past decade. First, Unaccompanied Minors. It was a dreadful attempt at pre-teen humor. The other was a widely regarded, yet rarely seen, Communist concentration picture called I Am David. It's a shockingly strange resume for the man behind one of 2011's supposed great comedies. However, Feig seemed up to the challenge.

Bridesmaids centers around childhood best friends Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (played by Maya Rudolph). Annie is down on her luck after a failed attempt at opening a bakery and Lillian is about to take the next step in her relationship. When she officially gets engaged, Annie is the obvious choice for Maid of Honor. However, Lillian's new upscale lifestyle proves to be overwhelming for Annie, and she begins feuding with a fellow bridesmaid named Helen (played by Rose Byrne). As Helen systematically bridges the gap between best friends, Annie just continually finds herself unintentionally ruining Lillian's Wedding.

First, Bridesmaids is undoubtedly geared toward a female audience. Yet, any great comedy can transcend labels and entertain everyone. With this film there are plenty of highlights for males and females alike. Kristen Wiig is a wonderful lead character who shines in the spotlight, and her supporting cast, for the most part, is hilarious. Feig does a spectacular job developing the characters and putting them into compromising situations. There are so many laugh out loud scenes in the film, even I was shocked.

Despite Kristen Wiig's excellent job starring in the movie, Melissa McCarthy inevitably steals the film. She plays Megan, the sister of the groom. Almost solely crafted out of Zach Galifianakis's image, McCarthy is the wild card of the bunch. Her character is capable of anything and it brings an outrageous feel to the film. Even more brilliant is how believable Megan becomes. At first you doubt that anyone could be that crazy, yet McCarthy's performance allows the audience to buy into her wild nature.

Obviously nothing is perfect and Bridesmaids is far from it. It's 2 hour and 5 minute runtime begins to push your patience. The sappy ending is rather abrupt (to the film's advantage), but still boring and tacky all at the same time. There are a few moments during the movie where you'll glance at your watch, but don't worry, because Feig has something hilarious right around the corner.

Bridesmaids was a pleasant surprise. It's nothing groundbreaking, but there's so much raunchy humor and insanity to help keep it entertaining. If you're looking for a ton of laughs and nothing more, I recommending taking a shot on Bridesmaids.


Stars: 3 stars out of 4

Grade: B