Bridesmaids - Movie Review

Let me be honest. At first I had no plans to see Bridesmaids. Maybe on DVD, but I was not going to make a trip to the theater to see this. First I was hearing it was a female Hangover, well I didn’t care too much for The Hangover. Then reviews kept coming in on how good it was. Even the clips I saw on various talk shows just looked okay. Last week I caved and decided to catch it before it left theaters. I’m so glad I did. Now I’m waiting for its DVD release because I can’t wait to see it again and purchase it for my library.

This movie was very different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be a group of women cutting loose and acting like fools in Vegas. There was none of that. Instead, I was treated to a smart and funny film that delved into female relationships and touched on a topic you don’t see on film often, perpetual brokenness.

In these tough economic times this film really spoke to me. I could feel for Kristen Wiig’s, Annie, a woman whose life is unraveling just as her best friend since childhood, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) announces her engagement. Annie loves her friend and happily accepts the request to be Maid of Honor. Annie quickly learns she’s out of her league for the task, financially and socially. She is constantly being upstaged by Lillian’s new rich and beautiful friend, Helen (Rose Byrne) and it’s the last straw in Annie’s downward spiral. I appreciated seeing how Annie and Lillian would have wine and magazine parties because of lack of funds. I also liked the depiction of how a person often has to back out or lower themselves because of lack of funds. I think this aspect of the film alone would have many viewers identifying with it.

It’s interesting to see the many layers of female relationships explored. The happiness for your friend, tinged with a bit of jealously, support yet being fed up with something who just sinks lower and lower and the constant fear of not being loved or needed anymore. This is a film that exposes many serious emotions, but you will be laughing your ass off along the way. I kept hearing how raunchy this film was and there was some bathroom humor, but as a whole, I like hearing women talk like I do. Okay, maybe I talk like a sailor, but shouldn’t my demographic be represented once in awhile?

To date I’ve only seen Kristen Wiig in small film roles and on SNL. I wondered if she could carry a film. Her portrayal of Annie was sweet, sad and hysterical all at the same time. The supporting cast of Rudolph, Byrne, the wonderful Chris O’Dowd, John Hamm and Melissa McCarthy, helped to spread the laughs around. Everyone brought their “A” game to this project and it’s wonderful to see Maya Rudolph finally getting the attention she deserves. She was poignant and adorable in Away We Go and I hope her NBC sitcom, Up All Night, is a success.

My one criticism was a couple of references to Annie not being as thin as the perfect Helen. I understand that this is a big issue for women but it actually looked to me like Annie was actually thinner so that whole thing should have been scrapped. I did however appreciate seeing some non-perfect teeth in the cast. Even Rose Byrne had a bit of crookedness in her bottom teeth, that rocks. I’m so sick of all these completely perfect set of choppers everywhere I look.

If this is still playing in your neck of the woods, hurry and see it before it passes you by.