Bridesmaids Review

• 18th Nov 2011

Bridesmaids emerged as the surprise hit of the summer and marked a staggering commercial and critical success for writer and star Kristen Wiig. Directed by The Office (US) veteran Paul Feig, produced by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) and starring Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd and Jon Hamm, the film is absolutely crammed with comedic talent.

Bridesmaids follows Annie (Wiig) whose life doesn’t seem to be going too well. After her bakery business was forced to close due to financial difficulty, Annie was abruptly dumped by her boyfriend and proceeded to embark on a dissatisfying sexual relationship with commitment phobic idiot Ted (Jon Hamm). Forced to abandon her bakery dreams and take a job in a jewellery store, she is certain that her situation cannot get worse. However, that is until her best friend Lillian (Rudolph) announces her engagement by asking Annie to be her maid of honour.

Once she has reluctantly accepted the role, Annie must struggle with an engagement party speech, a costly dress fitting, a bachelorette party and a bridal shower, not to mention her fellow bridesmaids. Helen (Rose Byrne) seems intent on upstaging her at every possible level, mother-of-three Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) desperately just wants to let her hair down, whilst sister of the groom Megan is insistent that an all-female fight club would be the best activity for every occasion.

After failing miserably at each of her tasks, Annie completes her downward spiral by having a huge row with Lillian, getting evicted, pushing away prospective love interest Nathan (O’Dowd) and getting fired from her job. As the time of the wedding draws closer, Annie must find a way to pick herself up and undo the damage before it’s too late.

The most important thing to say about Bridesmaids is that it is extremely funny. The film features a number of hilarious comedic set pieces, such as the bridal shop and aeroplane sequences. These are funny situation comedy moments in which a bout of food poisoning disrupts a dress fitting and a fear of flying causes all manner of problems. However, the hilarity comes predominantly from the fast-paced quips which each character is able to contribute.

The characters in Bridesmaids are all fantastically funny and work extremely well together. From the overtly sexual Rita to the sexually inexperienced newly wed Becca (Ellie Kemper), to the bickering bridesmaids vying for the bride’s attention, all of the characters have something uniquely funny to bring to the mix. The first example of this occurs during the engagement party sequence in which Annie meets her fellow bridesmaids, with the characters quickly established in a series of short scenes. The character interaction, comic timing and pacing are all expertly crafted and keep the laughs coming thick and fast.

It should be noted that as well as being incredibly funny, the film works on a dramatic level as a tender portrait of someone who is losing their way in the world. The character of Annie is so lovingly crafted and sensitively written that the audience are able to really empathise with her. All of the overtly comic sequences are perfectly balanced with moments of tender pathos, in which this audience identification becomes essential. This is particularly relevant when Annie goes into a rage at the bridal shower. The sequence becomes a little too animated, passing just over the line of acceptable comedic exaggeration. However, whilst the actions of the character may be just too ridiculous, the sentiment behind them still rings completely true and the sequence is able to build to a climax without alienating viewers.

It is also worth noting that unlike many films in the romantic comedy tradition, the love interest in Bridesmaids is not a cardboard cutout of the ‘perfect’ man. Although O’Dowd’s Nathan may be funny, sweet and supportive he is not classically attractive in the usual sense. His rigid appreciation for the rules of his job, unknowingly painful focus on Annie’s baking and stubborn unwillingness to forgive her cruel behaviour mark Nathan as an extremely well rounded character. These aspects of the character ensure that the audience are not provided with a ‘perfect’ love interest, but a more realistic man who is surely all the more charming as a result.

One of the only problems with Bridesmaids comes in the form of Annie’s ‘English’ housemate, who is very clearly Australian. However, though this accent issue might be incredibly irritating, it is certainly not serious enough to stop the character from being funny.

This DVD release comes with quite a few extra features which will add very little to an audience’s enjoyment of the film. As is usually the case, it is clear to see why the additional/extra scenes did not make the cut, whilst the gag reel of takes which went wrong will cause viewers to yearn for the real thing. However, the ‘line-o-rama’ option features endless cast improvisations which will highlight their incredible talent.

The feature commentary occasionally proves difficult to decipher as the list of speakers tend to talk over one another, but the track includes some valuable insights into the filming and editing of the film. Particularly interesting is the information that Ted’s dismissal of Annie in the opening sequence had to be toned down, after audience test screenings confirmed that Annie was too well-liked for his cruelty to provoke laughter.

The Bridesmaids DVD/Blu-ray should be making its way onto a lot of Christmas lists this year. The film features a superb cast, tender script, well-timed gags and a series of hilarious comedy set pieces which will ensure that Bridesmaids is cherished as comedy gold for years to come.

Sonia Zadurian