Gender bender with virility
FILM REVIEW: BRIDESMAIDS. The latest film from the decidedly male-centric Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad) stable, Bridesmaids is a chick flick with an injection of virility.
The film is, at its heart, a romantic comedy, but it’s the blokey Apaptowian tropes that elevate it. The love-letter to slackers, gross-out humour, improvised quips and buddy-movie overtones are all present and correct and transfer easily to the female ensemble.
A lot has been made of the gender mash-up, and the hype has been cleverly co-opted by the film’s marketers, who are touting Bridesmaids as all things to all sexes.
And while moviegoers, significant others in tow, have responded by turned out in droves, it’s not as groundbreaking as the hullaballoo would have you believe.
Written by and starring Saturday Night Live alumni Kristen Wiig, the film follows Annie (Wiig), an endearing, if completely self-involved, low-end jewellery store attendant who spends her days catering to doe-eyed lovers and other annoying types.
Watch the trailer and review. Story continues below video.
Annie lives with peculiar British siblings Gil, (Jewish actor Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame) and Brynn (Aussie TV actor Rebel Wilson) and has a friends-with-benefits relationship with Ted (an uncredited John Hamm), a ruggedly good-looking, rich sleazebag who repeatedly batters her self-esteem, usually immediately following sex.
When Annie’s oldest friend Lilian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged and asks her to be the maid of honour, the perennially single 30-something feels as though the world is passing her by.
Enter Helen (Rose Byrne), Lilian’s prissy, rich and decidedly grown-up new friend, also in the bridal party, with whom Annie develops an immediate enmity.
Annie spirals out of control, making a series of bad decisions that lead to her losing her job, her apartment and her dignity, when she meets lovestruck cop Officer Rhodes, played expertly by IT Crowd star Chris O’Dowd.
Wiig shines in her first lead role after a decade or so of character acting. Her quirky brand of self-aware one-upmanship is charming and hilarious, but it’s her handling of Annie’s humanity and vulnerability that is perhaps most surprising.
Following on from her riotous turn as a British pop star in Get Him to the Greek, Byrne gives another solid comic performance, while the ensemble of bridesmaids are all good, in particular Wendi McLendon-Covey as the jaded mother of Rita.
While the accessibility of Bridesmaids has proved a huge selling point, it’s also its Achilles heel. At times, the film struggles to shift gears between run-of-the-mill romcom and edgy comedy, making for some clunky and jarring pacing.
However, the relationships and characters are believable and engaging, and the laughs come steadily enough, thanks mainly to the hand-picked cast of international players, making Bridesmaids a mainly satisfying treat.
Bridesmaids is currently screening.
REVIEW: Adam Kamien
Rating: ***
PHOTO: From left: Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids.
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