I resent the idea that Bridesmaids has to serve as an advocate for women because of the gender of its writers (Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo). It is unfair pressure on the film, not to mention, Wiig and Mumolo, who are apparently being held accountable for the future of women in cinema by how well Bridesmaids does in the box-office. It’s a sad portrait of the industry and its attitudes about and toward females, but one could go on and on about that and not make any leeway. Bridesmaids will serve as an indicator for the future of women screenwriters and comedians, despite how unfair that is. Fortunately for all of us, it’s the perfect spokesperson: hilarious, heartfelt and undeniably charming all at once.
Bridesmaids is not a chick flick. While there is a romantic comedy vein that runs throughout the film, if it had to resemble anything, I’d say it’s more of a buddy movie. As the film is the latest to come from the Judd Apatow comedy machine, comparisons a plenty have already been made to The Hangover, another film that follows the exploits of a friend’s marriage party. Even this seems inaccurate, however. It’s true that Bridesmaids is full of the raunch and cringe worthy humiliation humor typical of Apatow’s films, but it never depends on the gross out gags as its sole source of laughter. There is some great wit here, as well as plain overt silliness delivered with great charm from Wiig.
In fact, a better cast couldn’t have been selected for Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig stars as the films central character, an everywoman, so to speak, who’s going through a particularly hard time. This all seems exacerbated by the announcement that her best friend Lilian, an underused Maya Rudolph, is getting married. While it’s an easy and often overused rote, the impending marriage serves as more of a framing device for the story. Wiig is not ever desperate to beat her friend to the altar, as other films often depict women, but is instead plagued by a fear that these big changes in her best friend’s life will be too much for their relationship to handle.
Stellar performances abound here. Jon Hamm strips himself of that Don Draper persona to successfully become a joke of a man. Melissa McCarthy manages a similar effect. Famous for her role on Gilmore Girls, her performance here really surprises. Standing in as a kind of Zach Galifianakis, she plays Megan, a black sheep sister-in-law with seemingly no concept of other people’s comfort zones or sensibilities. McCarthy is brilliant in the role, not because she sheds that cute demeanor that has followed her from project to project, but because she retains a real humanity, even when playing a caricature. My biggest beef with the film is how little we see of Reno 911! actress, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper of the Office. Sadly, there are only so many hours in a day.
I suggest readers not use the film’s trailer as a judge of what Bridesmaids is about. Based solely on that information, the film seems like a lackluster attempt to be one of the boys, as Cate pointed out a few months back when the film was announced. It proves to be a lot more upon watching.Bridesmaids says something about the close friendships women hold and how they morph as lives change and people grow older. It says all this, however, and remains hilarious to boot. Bridesmaids is playing in US theaters now. It’s slated for a UK release June 24.
Sarah McBride is a self-proclaimed pop-culture enthusiast. Her thoughts on music, film and life can be found at sarahism.com. You can follow her on twitter @sarahism.