Kirsten Wiig brings the laughs in Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids owns up after been being built up as a female answer to guy movies such as The Hangover. With its showing of "guy humor," it offers an alternative to the saccharine, tepid, chick flicks that are constantly pumped into theaters.
Writers Wiig, Annie Mumolo, and director Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks) set out to make a movie that wasn't just another ladies' movie.
With normal chick flick conventions like engagement parties, dress fittings, and bridal showers, they add raunchy jokes, foul mouths, and some very gross bodily functions after some bad, cheap, Brazilian food.
Wiig stars as Annie, best friend to Lillian, played by Saturday Night Live veteran Maya Rudolph in a role that could be one of her funniest and most realistic in terms of real female personalities.
Lillian wants Annie to be her maid of honor but with Annie's esteem and self worth taking a beating from losing her small business in the economic downturn, she hasn't emotionally or financially recovered. Adding to that, she constantly falls back on a no strings attached sexual relationship with Ted, played by Jon Hamm (Mad Men).
However, Annie's biggest problem is the beautiful and audaciously rich Helen (Rose Byrne), who is Lillian's new close friend. Helen visibly and ferociously contests
Annie, not only for the right of being maid of honor, but for her place as Lillian's best friend.
While at first these characters all seem to fit the expected types, the writing and delivery of the characters take them to places where normal chick flicks wouldn't, the realm of depth beneath the surface.
Two actors that steal the spotlight in this movie are Irish actor Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd) and Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly).
O'Dowd plays the main love interest, Officer Rhodes, in a way that shows promise for him as an everyman leading man. McCarthy's role as the groom's sister, one of the bridesmaids, arguably delivers the funniest moments of the whole movie.
The movie's weakness is that it is being billed as an ensemble, when it is really a starring gig for Wiig. Though their parts are smaller, Kemper and McLendon-Covey, as Becca and Rita respectively, give performances that make one wonder why they weren't included in a more centralized plot.
Wiig acts in the movie with the same persona she has on SNL, with the range of about three or four esoteric characters and their variations. The flaw of Bridesmaids is the same as with recent seasons of SNL, it has bits that run too long and lose steam.
Bridesmaids has raunchy humor and heart, much like most of the other Judd Apatow produced films. It has moments that will have the audience roaring with laughter, most of which do not belong to Wiig. This movie is a must see for any fan of Wiig, and a good place for anyone looking to find out how a movie filled with very funny women, doesn't have to be a chick flick.