{"id":1110,"date":"2011-08-09T10:02:13","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T10:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=1110"},"modified":"2011-08-09T10:02:41","modified_gmt":"2011-08-09T10:02:41","slug":"bridesmaids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/bridesmaids\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridesmaids *****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The biggest mistake you can make is to dismiss Paul Feig<\/a>\u2019s Bridesmaids<\/em><\/a> as yet another pre-wedding \u2018chick flick\u2019, along the lines of 27 Dresses<\/a><\/em>. An even bigger one is writing it off as simply a \u2018female Hangover<\/em><\/a>\u2019 \u2013 even though contrary to critic sentiment, the lads in Bangkok are riding high at No.2 slot in the UK box office. In this sense, there\u2019s still plenty of mileage left in stag\/hen comedy. The problem Bridesmaids<\/em> has is its goofy, snappy trailer could never do justice to the excellent timing and delivery that\u2019s right on the mark.<\/p>\n

Bridesmaids<\/em> sees Annie (Kristen Wiig<\/a>) picked as her best friend Lillian\u2019s (Maya Rudolph<\/a>) maid of honour. Although happy for her, it highlights what\u2019s missing from Annie\u2019s life, and she soon discovers just how much pressure is involved helping organise Lillian\u2019s big day, including the hen night. Things don\u2019t help when you\u2019re lovelorn and broke and have an annoyingly perfect and rich girlfriend of Lillian\u2019s (Rose Byrne<\/a>) hell bent on upstaging you. It looks like Annie is going to have to bluff her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals with an oddball group of bridesmaids.<\/p>\n

As co-writer, star Wiig is the perfect choice for the lead of Annie because she knows her material and can play down extraordinary moments of madness. After popping up on international radar as potty-mouthed Ruth Buggs in Paul<\/a><\/em> \u2013 Americans will know her better from SNL<\/em><\/a>, it feels as though this is Wiig\u2019s true moment to shine. She\u2019s helped co-pen a comedy where women are finally not just pretty, witty appendages, but damn funny as hell. The writing is razor-sharp and targeted at both sexes \u2013 and yes, more males than females were howling with laughter in our screening. It also helps that Wiig is pitch-perfect, with one of the best and most hilarious post-sex conversations with Jon Hamm<\/a> as her cocky \u2018f**kbuddy\u201d in an opening clincher in a long time.<\/p>\n

The visual gags never overstay their screen welcome but add just enough to portray any given situation, or enhance it further. Wiig and co have thought long hard about the length of other set pieces in a film, too, with some resorting to toilet humour. But it\u2019s delivered in a more heartfelt and meaningful manner \u2013 if that\u2019s possible \u2013 that has you screwing your face up in disgust while crying with laughter in sympathy, such as the infamous food poisoning scenes. It\u2019s as though the all-female writing team \u2013 that includes Annie Mumolo<\/a> (the nervous woman on the plane next to Annie in the film) \u2013 has taken traditionally male-focused humour and given it purpose.<\/p>\n

One the biggest stars to shine in this is Melissa McCarthy<\/a> of Samantha Who?<\/em><\/a> fame who, no stranger to weighty issues in her roles, is man-hungry \u2018government agent\u2019 and Lillian\u2019s future sister-in-law, tomboy Megan, who doesn\u2019t let anything or anyone bring her down. The comic timing between her and Wiig is genius, slowing down the pace to capture a poignant moment, before ramping it up again \u2013 and no one will forget Megan\u2019s meat sandwich moment at the end in a hurry. In fact, Byrne is also brilliant as uptight Helen, Annie\u2019s nemesis, with her most memorable \u2013 and the film’s never-ending \u2013 scene opposite Wiig at the engagement party.<\/p>\n

Non-US talent both shines and flickers. On the plus side, Chris O’Dowd<\/a> is like a less-overbearing Irish Seth Rogen<\/a> as Officer Nathan Rhodes, Annie\u2019s love interest. He treads a finer, more endearing line as Rhodes, and although seems like an unlikely union with Wiig, matches her deadpan wit and delivery as one of the most compelling rom-com pairings in recent years \u2013 by the way, this is the only rom-com element as Bridesmaids<\/em> avoids most of the genre clich\u00e9s, until the very end that is. On the downside, the scenes with Little Britain<\/a><\/em>\u2019s Matt Lucas<\/a> and Aussie actress Rebel Wilson<\/a> as Annie\u2019s flatmates seem relatively pointless, adding nothing to the story. It\u2019s as though Wiig fancied having Lucas in it, so wrote him in. As these scenes are brief, they don\u2019t detract from the overall entertainment value.<\/p>\n

Bridesmaids<\/em> is THE best unisex night out at the cinema you\u2019ll have in ages \u2013 this is the best proposal yet, and an invite you shouldn’t decline.<\/p>\n

5\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

(Follow on Twitter<\/a>)<\/p>\n

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The biggest mistake you can make is to dismiss Paul Feig\u2019s Bridesmaids as yet another pre-wedding \u2018chick flick\u2019, along the lines of 27 Dresses. An even bigger one is writing it off as simply a \u2018female Hangover\u2019 \u2013 even though contrary to critic sentiment, the lads in Bangkok are riding high at No.2 slot in … <\/p>\n

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