Bridesmaids

A woman (Kristen Wiig) is asked to be the maid of honor at her best friend's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. As she helps plan the wedding and engages in the rituals with a snobbish bridesmaid (Rose Byrne) and the rest of the bridal party (Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper), her life begins to spiral out of control as she feels she is losing her best friend. Directed by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, Bridesmaids is the female answer to The Hangover, with women engaging in bad behavior and gross out gags. It is an exercise in two schools of comedy that have grown tiresome over recent years, the first being the Tin Feyesque comedy that crippled SNL and the second being Apatow's alternately lewd and sweet brand of comedy. Also, clocking in at two hours, I was left wondering just who the hell Apatow thinks he is, leaving his movies untrimmed and assuming that moviegoers want to sit through two hours of his bloated films. This movie is uncomfortable and not in the funny way the filmmakers intended. Also, not to be mean, but Maya Rudolph is hideous. Why is she in pictures? I don't mean ugly people shouldn't be in films, but the way she is always presented as attractive bothers me. So that is not to say the film is a complete waste. Kristen Wiig is adorable and has the comic talent to pull off her role. At a time when comic stars are not capable of pulling off leading roles without loads of support, Wiig does so nicely. Also supporting players McCarthy, McLendon-Covey, Mad Men's John Hamm, Chris O'Dowd, and Jill Clayburgh in her final film role are all funny and excellent. Still, these positives don't excuse Apatow's excesses and arrogance and the many parts of the film which largely do not work.