Review of Bridesmaids starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Wendi McLendon-Covey
On the big screen at least, Kristen Wiig has been something of a bridesmaid and never a bride. She’s had some solid supporting roles, but honestly, you’d be hard pressed to come up with them on your own.
Oh, on Saturday Night Live, she’s a standout talent – arguably, the best the ensemble has right now. But off the top of your head, did you remember she was in Knocked Up, Walk Hard or Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Maybe not, which is something of a back-handed compliment to her skills as a character actress. Now, she’s written her own movie – she’s center stage and one senses we’re seeing some glimpses of the real Kristen Wiig. And she’s smart, cute and funny.
You may have seen the trailer for Bridesmaids and thought we were getting The Hangover For Women. Sure, there are moments of R-rated raunch (Wiig and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm share some awkward and embarrassing sex scenes, and a bridesmaid fitting appointment becomes an absolutely classic bit of crudeness), but the movie is actually very relatable.
Don’t worry – you’re not being tricked into seeing yet another romantic comedy about whether or not a couple will go through with their wedding. There is a cute romance, but the movie is really about the relationship between Wiig’s Annie and her best friend Lillian (SNL veteran Maya Rudolph). Annie’s in a slump: her baking business has failed and she’s forced to take a retail job behind a jewelry counter, the only man in her life (Hamm) just uses her for sex and asks her to leave in the morning, and she’s afraid she’s going to lose her one constant – Lillian—to her new life.
Then to add insult to injury, Lillian picks her wedding party. Annie is the Maid of Honor, but she frets over the “lineup.” Standing right behind her is Lil’s new close friend – the beautiful and rich Helen. Annie is outraged that this friend Lil has had ‘for like five minutes” knows so much about her, and that she has the means to throw her the bachelorette party and shower that Annie can’t. The two engage in a contest to win Lil’s heart with often hilarious results (Classic scene #2 – the dueling toasts).
Director Paul Feig has worked on some of TV’s funniest programs (The Office, Arrested Development, Freaks & Geeks) and similarly gets great work out of his comedic cast, which includes The Office’s Ellie Kemper, Mike & Molly’s Melissa McCarthy (proving plus-size women can be just as funny playing boorish pigs as plus-size men can) and the late Jill Clayburgh in her last role.
Wiig is the star though. She’s written a funny script and given herself a good role as a likeable loser. You’ll appreciate Annie’s wit while you laugh at her predicaments. She’s never such a sad sack that you get sick of her or think she’s brought this on herself.
The few men who are in it are funny too, but this is really a “chick flick” in a really good way. It’d be great to see for a Girls’ Night Out – especially with the type of girls who have dreamed not only of their wedding day but of where each of their friends will stand when it happens. Meanwhile, the type of man who crushes these days on Tina Fey will feel similar pangs for Kristen Wiig.
Bridesmaids Movie Details, Images, Trailers and Clips:
Genre/s: Comedy
Release Date/s: 05/13/2011 (Showtimes & Tickets)
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Company: Apatow Productions
Official Site: Official Site for Bridesmaids
Alternate Titles:
CAST and CREW FOR Bridesmaids
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Matt Lucas, Jill Clayburgh, Rebel Wilson, Michael Hitchcock
Directed By: Paul Feig
Written By: Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
Produced By: Judd Apatow, Clayton Townsend, Barry Mendel