Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown: A Review of BRIDESMAIDS

I will tell you quite simply: If you enjoy laughing, GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

Expected grade: 7/10

Actual grade: 9/10

(For a full explanation of my grading system, check out this post.)

In anticipation of this movie, various people have been bandying about the phrase "The Hangover with women." I myself said those words in my summer preview post. I apologize for that now. It is not like The Hangover. It is so. Much. Better.

Whereas The Hangover was an over-the-top, hilarious film about three guys and their hijinks in Vegas (and not much more than that), Bridesmaids is an over-the-top, hilarious, heart-felt, at-times-depressing but still hysterically side-splitting film about real relationships between real women with characters who evolve and change and actually have important things to say about growing up and growing apart from your friends.

Coming from the brilliant mind of Kristen Wiig, this movie often feels like a bunch of short films (or long sketches) in one large package. There's the engagement party sequence, the gown shopping sequence, the plane trip sequence, etc. (The engagement party sequence, in particular, is unbelievably funny -- it goes on for so long and every time you think it's ending...it's not. I don't remember the last time I've laughed so hard.) This sequencing plays to Wiig's strengths (her SNL background) and allows each actress to showcase her comedic chops. Wiig and Maya Rudolph obviously have wonderful chemistry together, and the always-beautiful Rose Byrne is delightful as the icy cold rich girl stealing away Wiig's best friend. You may have heard that Melissa McCarthy, as the overweight sister of the groom, steals the show. It's almost true. She brings depth and unexpected levity to a role that could have been an easy caricature. But no one steals this show from Ms Wiig. She is consistently strong, both in the comedic moments (unsurprising) and the sadder ones (more surprising). She carries this entire film on her shoulders and never slows down for a second.

The only qualms I had were minor. Wiig, Rudolph, Byrne and McCarthy are utilized to their utmost -- however, the other two bridesmaids are apparently forgotten about two-thirds of the way into the film and their subplots almost entirely dropped. And then there's the ending. I thought the movie was ending about three minutes before it actually did. I'm 98% positive that's when Wiig wanted the movie to end, but the studio told her "No! You need to wrap things up neatly and please the masses!" The actual ending subsequently felt so abrupt and tacked on, it was almost from a different movie. But everything else about this movie is so great, it's easy to look past that.

There's something in this film for everyone. It is a breath of fresh air in a world where movies starring women and about weddings are expected to be abhorrently bad (see: Bride Wars). But Kristen Wiig gives it her all and comes out on top. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.