“Bridesmaids” is Second Hand Apatow
For the past 5 years Kristen Wiig has been lighting up the screen with snarky performances in small supporting roles. Today she has finally been given a chance to be front and center, playing the lead character. Sadly, like all great comedians, Bridesmaids doesn’t capture Wiig’s talents to the fullest. That’s not to say the film is laugh free because there are, despite its sluggish narrative, spurts of comedic gold.
Directed by Paul Feig, Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig as Annie – a middle-aged, distressed woman who has recently lost her bakery – and to make matters worse, constantly divulges in unromantic sex as a third string booty call with a callous wealthy man (played by John Hamm). Ironically while Annie’s life appears to be going up in flames, her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has recently become engaged – ultimately heading for matrimony. Still, despite her own problems (emotionally and financially) she agrees to be the maid-of-honor (or dishonor if you take into account her future actions).
No need for further plot examination as you could directly correlate it with The Hangover, the men and Las Vegas substituted with women and Milwaukee. This is depressingly underwhelming. The casting here is lackluster compared to the talent of Wiig. Puny Milwaukee is about as exciting as watching paint dry. And unlike many of the pictures Apatow has built her name on (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Superbad) the plot of Bridesmaids is thin and drastically contrived.
Regardless of the film’s flaws, there are a few things to be salvaged here. In particular Annie, thanks to Wiig’s natural nuance, creates a playful atmosphere despite her life slowly dwindling down to rock bottom. Not to mention the wildly comedic script, co-written by Wiig and Annie Mumolo, and a fantastic supporting performance from Chris O’Dowd who plays the cop that may or may not be the new love interest in Annie’s life. Those bright spots add some much needed wit and charm to this rather dumbstruck comedy.
For marketing reasons, Bridesmaids is being advertised as a Judd Apatow picture. It most certainly is not (he produced it). What Apatow does so well in his films, is create a comedic atmosphere full of cruel and juvenile humor while still projecting some tenderness underneath it all.
However, what I found exceedingly distracting was the amount of not-so compelling material. Practically every character is a stereotype. The older wife who despises marriage, the newly wed who is about as innocent as Mother Theresa, and a stay at home mother who projects perfection but like everyone else, is far from it. Every dramatic scene is weak and unnecessary making the final climatic sequence neither funny nor heartwarming.
Still, Kristen Wiig is a star in the making and I suspect many will enjoy the over-the-top, raunchy nature of the picture. But as tired as a Joan Rivers stand up act, Bridesmaids is full of crude and rude humor, and never quite knows when to quit.
C
(✭✭/✭✭✭✭)
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20 Comments
“Puny Milwaukee is about as exciting as watching paint dry.”
hey now, not cool!
Blame Castor for “puny” ~ not me ;D
ah…someone’s just jealous we have the LOMBARDI TROPHY! :-p
So what we have CHRISTIAN PONDER!!
(weeps)
You aren’t supposed to tell him that Sam!
When did the vulgar humor backlash begin? Did I miss a memo or something?
I think part of the backlash maybe from filmmakers trying to copy Apatow but forgetting that there is more to his movies than vulgar humour.
That being said, i don’t have a problem with vulgar humour myself, and i will probably end up seeing it on dvd.
I will be seeing this on Saturday. Looking forward to it despite the less than enthusiastic reception
You appear to be attending films more often all of a sudden.
Yea, better movies
I expect to see Everything Must Go next week. Then Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life in the coming weeks.
YAM Magazine’s Juan gave the film a good review ;D
It’s definitely an Apatow-ian flick. Crude humor + big heart.
Am I the only one who thought promising Vegas and then heading back to Milwaukee was hilarious? Going to Vegas would have been way too predictable.
^ Spoiler Alert ~ C’mon Fitz – I know you know better than that
I didn’t give anything away that you didn’t already say.
I enjoyed it. Was pleasantly surprised by how often I laughed out loud.
Don’t worry – I’m in the minority with my stance on the film.
89% on Rotten Tomatoes
Still standing strong, though.
Middle-aged? Wiig is 38, Annie’s gotta be 35 at the most and seems like a ‘relatively young loser,’ and I associate the phrase with married folk. God that word hurts.
In some regard, 35 is middle age.
I didn’t review this movie to counterweight Sam but I found this movie to be pretty hilarious and a wonderful movie for women and about women. Really glad this is doing well at the box office, as it could lead studios to greenlight more female-centered movies down the road.
I would rate this a B+
Castor!
You too? It’s 10:50 – why are we commenting on an old review? Haha.
In all seriousness – I understand why people liked the movie. Hell, I’m in the minority on this one. Look at Rotten Tomatoes – I believe it’s somewhere in the high 80′s.
Stil, I stand by by initial analysis of the film. I’m not glad it’s doing well at the box office. People should go see “Everything Must Go” or “Win Win” or “Pom Wonderful”
Though, I am happy for Wiig – she deserves more roles. Just wished it was a better film.
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