BRIDESMAIDS (2011)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
"Bridesmaids" has been compared to "The Hangover," and I think it is an erroneously oversimplified comparison. "The Hangover" is a frenetic, male-bonding crude fantasy wrapped with quite a few laughs but no real insights into human behavior (maybe it wasn't meant to have any). "Bridesmaids" is a female-bonding comedy of manners and errors, but it is wrapped with some real insights and lots of laughs. Also, whereas "The Hangover" veered into the Vegas spotlight where everything goes wrong, "Bridesmaids" veers into complicated relationships and it is fraught with deliciously crude comic possibilities.
The incomparable Kristen Wiig is Annie, a woman of lost dreams and inarticulate men whom crave sex. Annie once owned her own bakery shop and continues baking in her home. She works at a jewelry shop where she is crass to customers (her verbal riffs with a teenage girl will have you squirming with laughter). Annie is lost but can she find her way back? She is the maid of honor for her best friend's wedding, Lillian (played by the sassy, sprightly Maya Rudolph). However, tension flares when Lillian's other friend, Helen (Rose Byrne), is spoiled rich and wants to run the whole wedding, including having Lillian get a fitting for her wedding gown in Paris. How can that compare to Annie's gift box that has a Wilson Phillips CD and other knickknacks from their early days of friendship. This leads to a mental breakdown that is hilarious, saddening, provocative and very truthful, with an added touch of slapstick that would make Jerry Lewis or the Queen of Slapstick, Lucille Ball, go "Huh? Why didn't I ever think of that?"
"Bridesmaids" is chock full of laughter from start to finish. Annie's conversations with her mother (played by the late Jill Clayburgh) are priceless. Less priceless are Annie's British roomates who seem to have drifted from a British sitcom or the British version of "Shameless" (well, that is stretching it and their inclusion is a minor quibble). Also priceless is Jon Hamm as Annie's bed buddy who consistently tells her night after night, "Alright, get the hell out of my house." Score one for Hamm's irresistible knack for playing rotten men (Don Draper might be shocked by this guy). And there is the equally irresistible Melissa McCarthy as Megan, who says what she thinks and does what she does unapologetically. There are so many great comic scenes with these women that I have a tough time naming my favorite. I guess it would be the stupendous airplane sequence. It involves a supposed air marshal, Annie having one too many drinks, Megan thrusting her leg and, well, I can't give away any more.
I've always said that modern comedies often shortchange themselves - when they contain a great idea, they don't fully exploit it. "Bridesmaids" takes the initiative and exploits every angle for what it is worth. It is my kind of comedy, teasingly chaotic and gross but aims higher with aspirations that rival most romantic comedies. It is all thanks to Kristen Wiig, who brings Annie a real dose of humanity, compassion, regret, charm and sensitivity. Annie is the saddest woman I've seen in any film in a while, and it is Wiig's nuanced, subtle work that makes it real. You come away rooting for her to get ahead, meet the right man (maybe it will be a certain sensitive policeman) and not fall in that cutesy trap where a certain Wilson Phillips song plays, ah shucks.
