Bridesmaids

My Grade:  B-

I have heard it said that Bridesmaids is The Hangover for women.  This is false.  It is not nearly as funny.  It’s not even as funny as the much weaker Hangover Part 2.  This was a bit disappointing for me because I had heard such great things and that Bridesmaids is the funniest movie of the year.  I hate letdowns.

    

This film starts off and is more depressing than funny.  Annie’s (Kristen Wiig) life is just plain sad.  And they keep piling it on in the first 30 minutes or so.  The only thing helping her keep her head above water is her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolf).  But this friendship is threatened by Lillian’s richer, well connected friend, Helen.  I didn’t want to get too deep into the plot, but I had to explain this situation because the way Annie deals with it makes her seem very petty, immature, and selfish.  These are not traits we want in a protagonist.  And it’s a strange thing because Kristen Wiig is so likable.  This made her performance a bit uneven at first, but as the film progresses, I figured out why she is up for a Golden Globe.

    

Her character has a beautiful arc.  The negativity piles up higher and higher until Annie hits bottom.  That makes it much sweeter when she is given the chance to fix her character flaws and find some sort of redemption.  

    

If you haven’t realized it yet, everything I have talked about so far sounds like something from a drama.  I am aware of this.  Bridesmaids is much better as a drama than a comedy.  The story is somewhat of a character study and the ending warms your heart... tell-tale signs of a good drama.  There is some comedy in there, but this film really excels in the dramatic, not the comedic.

    

I can only approach this film from a man’s perspective, but I do have to say that I believe women will find it funnier than men.  I think, though, that the laughs are still only intermittent whatever your sex is.  Don’t get me wrong; there are some very funny moments, but there aren’t as many as the filmmakers seem to think there are.  The running joke throughout the whole film is that these women do things, talk about things, and joke about things that are normally done, talked about, and joked about by men.  This is all well and good, but can’t hold up a two hour film.  Hearing women curse and talk about sex acts, lesbians, fight club, feces, etc. is only funny so many times.

    

The most memorable scene (after the Brazilian steakhouse), for instance, is a scene that exploits the idea of taking a scene that has always involved men and putting women in it.  I respect the creativity here, but it’s just gross... not even funny.  Even if the scene involved a group of men, it would still be more disgusting than funny.  I feel it is a bit over the top and will be remembered for the wrong reasons (like the hooker scene from The Hangover 2).  If you haven’t seen Bridesmaids and are confused about what scene I am referring to above, you will know if you see the film.  And if you don’t see the film, you don’t want to know what the scene is about.

    

The funniest and best character in this film is Megan (Melissa McCarthy), the somewhat butch, heavy-set, sexually forward sister of the husband.  She is a great character because she is so authentic.  She speaks her mind and doesn’t judge people until she knows them.  These things make her a joy to watch.  She also has some very funny moments.  However, playing up her tomboy-ness gets a little overused and starts to annoy me after a while.

    

Overall, Bridesmaids is not a strong comedy, but certainly an above average drama.  It’s a touching tale about friendship but falls back on bathroom humor rather than the genuinely funny.  I am a little bit shocked to see Bridesmaids on the list for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes when Horrible Bosses is missing from that list.  But my vote doesn’t count.