Firstly let me say that this film has a small amount of significance to me as one of my very best friends is getting hitched in 2 weeks, so as I missed her hen party I took her to see this film.
We both were almost in tears with how funny it is.
Written by star Kristen Wiig and cameo appearance Annie Mumolo (as an extremely nervous fellow airline passenger, priceless moments), this film follows the life of almost at rock bottom Annie (played by Wiig) and how she copes with becoming her best and childhood friend's maid of honour. I'd like to say here how happy I am to see Kristen Wiig in a starring role, she is likeable and engaging on screen and capable of playing many different personas.
So the storyline is fairly basic, many people have called this the womans Hangover but I don't think thats fair to the writing or the story, because its very different. For one thing the personal focus on Annie makes this film more intimate, you get to know the lead and you have somebody to root for, whereas The Hangover is a case of 'what the hell is gonna happen next?!'
Suffice to say there are no tigers in Bridesmaids, but there is toilet humour, foul language (appropriately directed I thought) and some lesbian action to suit the more debase funny bones. Normally toilet humour is not what I find remotely funny, but its actually really well done here and you laugh so hard at the embarrassment of the situation rather than the poo. Unlike the first Sex and the City film and its attempt to create a laugh by having Charlotte poo herself being unnecessary to the plot, the food poisoning episode in Bridesmaids is integral to Annie's attempts to be Maid of Honour falling apart from the start.
All Annie's plans go awry, and she is not helped by the competition in the form of Rose Byrne for being the best friend. Rose is a revelation in annoying, she has become a fine comedy actress in this film and when you don't want to punch her for upsetting Annie's plans you almost feel bad for her own personal troubles (step-children who hate her).
Maya Rudolph plays the bride to be with suitable nervousness, excitement, and ruthlessness as she cuts out Annie from her bridal party because of a disastrous plane journey to Vegas (the funniest series of scenes in a film I have seen for a very long time).
The rest of the bridal party are mostly just filler, with the clear exception of Melissa McCarthy who is the reason for the majority of laughter in this movie, with what she says, how she says it, and how plain and greasy looking they made her. Melissa is a very pretty, if slightly large, actress who has always been able to pull off comedy, but not been given such free reign before. There is a particular conversation on the plane with a fellow passenger where she is so very dead pan and the guy (actually played by her real life husband) is struggling without much success to not laugh.
This film does not suffer from bad casting, poor writing, tedious direction or any other annoying facet that you find in many supposed laugh out loud comedies. There is a Judd Apatow feel to the storyline, its funny but there is romance in there and an underdog coming good. Its predictable but you don't get bored, the support are suprising and funny, and most importantly Annie is a wonderful heroine to be indentified with and rooted for.
Big praise to Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo, I think I prefer Bridesmaids to The Hangover because I simply laughed more.
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