Brautalarm

There are many prickly relationship comedies, many wedding related comedies, many gross-out comedies, many my-life-is-a-mess comedies and many comedies that shoe-horn in a romance.

This has all those familiar elements but it works really well. It is well-paced despite the long run time, with a good mix of the various elements that keeps the entertainment and comedy value strong. Importantly the characters and relationships seem believable which makes the comedy parts so much more effective when they happen.

Kristen Wiig plays the lead character and co-wrote (taking care to include romantic associations with two really attractive guys). Wiig is really funny and effective in the role. I also really enjoyed the performances of Rose Byrne and Chris O'Dowd. Melissa McCarthy is good and her bit on the plane was really funny.

So this is the first comedy with a mostly female cast that blew me out of the water. Its as good as comedy gets - period. Right at the top with 1 other (which I'd rather not name for reasons).

I had already liked Wiig but this was her crowning achievement. It was also the movie that but Melissa McCarthy's career on the fast-track to stardom. Solid performances from the rest of the cast who all deserve a mention.

The film is filled with side-splitting hilarity.

I loved the toasting scene at the shower and the awkward one-upwomanship that ensued.

The plane scene has so many quotes and Wiig's genius shines so brightly.

Then the dress-trying scene had me rolling.

I've probably rewatched this movie as many or more times than any other. I've also recommended it as much or more than any other.

A masterpiece film that just so happens to be a comedy!

Let's be honest: when we saw the first trailer for Bridesmaids, who among us didn't think it looked like a dismal rehash of The Hangover (only this one, of course, features a "ratpack" of women)? Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that Bridesmaids is better than The Hangover. I have yet to see The Hangover Part 2, so I can't comment on any similarities/differences that might or might not exist. But one thing is for sure: Kristen Wiig has proved her worth as a female lead with a serious amount of comedic clout.

The story isn't revolutionary: one of two best friends is getting married, and everything involved with said nuptials is threatening to tear their lifelong friendship apart. At the center of this battle is Helen, a newly acquired "friend"—via the merging of two exclusive social circles—who begins taking over the wedding plans for Lillian (Rudolph). Annie (Wiig) makes it her mission to take out this she-devil, and what follows is the setup for one of the more memorable meltdowns (among a plethora of other things) to come along in quite some time. Bridesmaids is also peppered with the sort of humor that made movies like Superbad and Knocked Up so funny—it's observant and kitschy in that it rightly jabs several other films that have braved similar issues. In fact, the previously mentioned Hangover is, in at least a very minute way, one of these movies. In what initially appears to be a sad "bow" to The Hangover as king of the pre-wedding funnies, the girls decide to go to Vegas for Lillian's bachelorette party. This ends up being a perfectly welcome curve ball, though, as screenwriters Wiig and Mumolo brilliantly utilize the length of the plane trip to said destination to further flesh out their characters and create an impressively humorous string of in-flight mishaps.

There are a number of other contributors who make Bridesmaids work extraordinarily well, but, as is the case with any solid piece of cinema, it's best if you set aside some time to take in the whole thing in one fell swoop and let it unravel of its own volition. Sure, it's extraordinarily raunchy from time to time, but the nuanced, perfectly- timed moments of comedic genius make it a very worthwhile trip.

Kristen Wiig is one of the rarities from Saturday Night Live that was able to be great on the show and make the transition to films successfully. Bridesmaids was one of the best examples of this. It is more than just the use of a character, or trope, in a feature film. It is the use of a powerfully gifted comedian in a smart, funny role. It is the female counterpart to the male driven Hangover. Wiig is beautifully supported, and enhanced, by Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, and SNL's Maya Rudolph. Melissa McCarthy is shocking and funny in this one. She has some of the film's funniest scenes. Judd Apatow did a terrific job making a film driven by an all female cast that is not just for women. Jon Hamm has a small, buy very funny role in this one.

This flick is silly, funny, bitchy, and just great. We meet Annie (Kristen Wiig) a bridesmaid, whose best friend is getting married. Annie has lost her business and is alone and loveless. She is also getting pushed out of her bestie relationship by the NEW broad, the NEW bridesmaid, who is gorgeous, rich, and generous. How dare she? Then Annie loses her apartment and has to move back in with mommy (Jill Clayburgh). This is a hilarious chick flick of high caliber. The women are funny, clever and outrageous. The fashions are just silly enough and the writing and acting carry it off smoothly. There isn't a miss in the bunch but Melissa McCarthy stole plenty of the show.