Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd
Plot: Picked as her best friend's (Rudolph) maid of honour, lovelorn and broke Annie (Wiig) looks to bluff her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals led by rival Helen (Byrne) and an oddball group of bridesmaids.
In the run up to watching 'Bridesmaids' I was constantly told by family, friends and critics alike that it was a film that both sexes could enjoy. Judging from the posters and trailers I was skeptical to say the least. But I told myself Kristen Wiig wrote and starred in it and she is funny in almost everything she is involved with. And after seeing 'Bridesmaids' I can say I did enjoy it........I think.
The majority of 'Bridesmaids' is very funny because the humour is so different to other romantic comedies. And it is refreshing to see female comedians have fun and make a fool of themselves rather than just being the concerned wife or girlfriend to someone like Will Ferrell. This is about 75% of the movie where the jokes are consistently funny and I wasn't particularly bored. That's not to say it is without problems; pacing is a definite issue, the editing is pretty terrible throughout and there are some scenes go on for waaaaaaaaaaay to long, but it doesn't detract away from the humour too much.
I was surprised at how much I was laughing and enjoying 'Bridesmaids' (a standout sequence being a dress fitting gone wrong) with Kristen Wiig putting in a star making turn as the troubled Annie. Even more surprising was how horrible most the characters were as people especially rival Bridesmaid Helen and Annie herself. They bitch about one another and are cruel to people that simply don't deserve it, which to some may have seemed off putting but I found myself chuckling (maybe I just have a cruel streak aswell).
As for the supporting cast they are quite hit and miss none more so than Melissa McCarthy's Megan who at times was funny and others was the most irritating character on screen. She seems to be the Zach Galifianakis type character of the film and just isn't quite as funny as she thinks she is. Chris O'Dowd fairs much better as Annie's love interest Officer Nathan Rhodes who is charming, funny and possibly the most likeable character in the film.
The main problem and what prevents me from really liking this film is the final act. It is just terrible. Any cliche imaginable comes into play and it seems like a different film entirely. The mean humour vanishes, everyone becomes friends and there is of course a happy ending. I suppose this was inevitable because what studio would fund a comedy film aimed at women that ended like 'Se7en'. I did expect a happy ending but it was done in such a lazy and generic way that I was both disappointed and annoyed because of how different everything that came before it was.
'Bridesmaids' feels like two different films. The tone differs so greatly in the final act to the rest of the film that it is difficult for me to say I really liked it. There are certainly elements that I enjoyed and there are laughs to be had but it ultimately doesn't pay off in a satisfying way.
Rating:
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