Bridesmaids

At 30-something, Annie (Kristen Wiig) hasn’t had much luck. Her pastry shop went under when the economy crashed and her boyfriend dumped her. Short on money, she works in a jewelry store, (which she loathes) and shares an apartment with an odd British brother and sister. In the dating department she’s a bit of a jerk-magnet. To be fair, she allows the latter, being reduced to a 3rd string hookup option by her attractive interest Ted (Jon Hamm).  

When her childhood friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged, she accepts the role as her maid of honor. Competition ensues when Lillian chooses Helen (Rose Byrne), the wife of her fiancé’s boss – who she’s only known a few months – as one of her bridesmaids. Helen is desperate for friendship and she’s easy to dislike – as one of those girls that all the girls hate.

The two try to best each other – especially in the never-ending toast scene – and become territorial over their respective friendship with Lillian.

Through the torment she’s experiencing from losing her best friend to Helen, Annie shares her disappointment with Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd), a nice policeman she meets after being pulled over.

The remaining lineup of bridesmaids includes Rita (Wendy McLendon-Covey), Lillian’s vacation-desperate-housewife cousin, Becca (Ellie Kemper), Lillian’s naïve newlywed friend, and Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Lillian’s loose cannon future sister-in-law. With the complementary supporting cast it was on-going battle of the best one-liners and the crafty Megan was firing non-stop.

There are host of hysterical scenes. The most memorable: The girls become ill with food poisoning while trying on wedding dresses which causes the food to exit faster than they can move or undress. The second most memorable: The derailed plane trip to Vegas due to Annie’s antics and excessive drunkenness. Wiig’s physical comedy is on the mark and brilliant.

And due to those memorable mishaps –which stem back to Annie – Lillian now designates Helen to take over the remainder of the wedding plans. Annie’s fuming about this idea and of course at Helen.  

This isn’t your average chick flick since it definitely doesn’t hold back on the raunchiness. My Best Friend’s Wedding, this is not. Most will use The Hangover as a measuring stick but this film’s originality allows it to stand alone. Although there are big laughs, there are a few scenes that will test your tear ducts. The movie does seem to run a little longer than it should but that’s my only complaint.  

Kristin Wiig is quick witted and shines in her breakout starring role. Each member of the supporting cast has personality and doesn’t get lost. Who knew women could be this raunchy and hilarious too? This might just be my favorite of the year, earning it 3.5 out of 4 stars.