Year: 2011
Directed By: Paul Feig
Written By: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy,
Plot Outline:
Annie (Kristen Wiig), is a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.
My Thoughts:
I had heard SO much about this movie by the time I eventually came to watch it that I think it was always going to struggle to live up to my expectations. I think if I had seen it at the cinema without having heard much of the fanfare beforehand, I would have possibly enjoyed it more.
As it was - it started out very well, the first few awkward scenes between Annie and her casual "FWB" were hilariously awkward, and I had high hopes for the rest of the movie. There were a LOT of real laugh out loud moments, and I thought that Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne were excellent in their roles. I also REALLY enjoyed Chris O'Dowds performance and felt that this character, being one of the only genuinely nice and unflawed people in the movie!, was a welcome relief!
However, I felt some parts were a little too "Obvious" in their humour for my liking. I thought they tried too hard in some places to fit into the stereotypical bromance-comedy genre (think Superbad, Knocked Up, I Love You Man, etc.) I know that this won't be a popular thought because other people seemed to love the scene - but I really would have preferred the movie without the gross-out bridal store "bathroom humour"! I'm a girls girl - and I'm sorry - that kind of humour just leaves me cold! It always has. But while I expect it in movies about men, I don't expect it in movies about grown women! It just kind of ruined the "Oh my god, thats SO something I can imagine my friends and I doing!" cringe-worthy realness that the rest of the movie had.
I also thought that the movie would have benefited from a little more delving into Annie's past, as we never really found out why her business failed or how her life ended up in the sad place it was when we met her at the start of the movie.
I also thought there would be a lot more focus on the other Bridesmaids - with the exception of Melissa McCarthey, the others had very little to do with the story - and given the title of the movie, I expected to be seeing much more of them! They could have brought much more comedy through their diversity.
High Points:
For me, the break out star of this movie was Chris O'Dowd and I really hope that this role will help secure him a place in the Hollywood limelight. He's shown that he deserves it.
I also thought the relationship between Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne was played out really well. The absolute highlight for me was the appearance of Wilson Phillips - I love moments like that in a movie, and given that I am of the right age to have loved that song back in the day too, I appreciated the nostalgia!
Low Points:
I didn't really see the point in the roles of Matt Lucas or Rebel Wilson. In particular I found Rebel Wilson's role very irritating, why was she not even trying to disguise her heavy Australian accent when she was supposed to be playing the British sister of Matt Lucas?! Plus I just didn't find her funny.
I also struggled to warm to Maya Rudolph in the movie. I think its pretty clear that she got this role because her real-life BFF Kristen Wiig wrote the movie. I think there are a lot of actresses who would have played it much better.
So all in all - it was ok, I laughed quite a lot, but I certainly forgot about it quickly and wouldn't be in a hurry to see it again.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
