Bridesmaids review
Short version: “Bridesmaids” is the best film I’ve seen so far this year and one of producer Judd Apatow’s best comedies (up there with “Knocked Up” and “Superbad”). It’s also funny as shit. Co-written and starring SNL’s Kristen Wiig, the film proves that Wiig is more than just an amazing sketch performer, she’s also a talented actress and writer that’s interested in creating comedy that comes from someplace real. In the film, Wiig stars as Annie, a thirtysomething woman who’s hit a rough patch in her life: her bakery went out of business, her boyfriend left her, she’s sleeping with an asshole (portrayed with perfect sleaziness by Jon Hamm) and her best friend since childhood Lillian (the also excellent Maya Rudolph) is about to get married. Annie is the maid of honor and that comes with many planning activities and (as women probably already know) lots of stress. It’s during these stressful months that she really starts to come apart.
Starring a terrific (almost all-female) ensemble, the cast also includes an excellently bitchy Rose Byrne, “The Office”s Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey and a completely unhinged Melissa McCarthy. Though the films main focus is Annie, each of the cast members get more than a few chances to shine. The relationship between Annie and Lillian is completely believable, thanks to the real-life familiarity between Wiig and Rudolph and this makes their scenes together feel more real and less like clever movie dialogue. In fact, the best thing that the film does is staying close to the truth. It’s hilarious but not at the expense of turning everyone into a caricature. Wiig’s character has some real (but relatable) problems and she isn’t afraid to go to dark places. At times it’s not funny, it’s uncomfortable and sad, but that’s what makes it great.
Directed by “Freaks & Geeks” creator Paul Feig, who knows about uncomfortable hilarity from episodes he’s directed of of “The Office,” and “Arrested Development,” and produced by the aforementioned Apatow, “Bridesmaids” actually makes you angry at other comedies (particularly those aimed at women) for being so lazy and caricatured that you want to scream “this is how it’s done!” Disregard the trailer, it’s playing broad to draw a crowd but the film is a lot better and a lot more interesting than it looks. If there is any criticism it’s that the film feels a little long, partially due to a few sequences that go on (even as they remain funny) to awkward lengths, and partially due to the fact that the film just doesn’t feel like every other comedy you see. It’s episodic and there are a few twists that take it out of the type of film you think it’s going to be and direct it somewhere more interesting. If there is a better comedy this year, I’ll be surprised.
