This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Director Recaptures Magic in 'Bridesmaids'

Hilarious ensemble marries raunchy gags with endearing humanity.

Sometimes the best way to find your ideal material is to write it yourself. That’s certainly the philosophy behind Bridesmaids, a highly enjoyable comedy co-written by its star, Kristen Wiig. After her scene-stealing cameo in Knocked Up, director Judd Apatow offered to produce a vehicle of her own, and the offer couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

Anyone familiar with Wiig’s variety of side-splitting characters on Saturday Night Live is well aware of her enormous talent. With the chameleon-like invention of Peter Sellers and the infectious exuberance of Carol Burnett, Wiig morphs her elastic face and fluctuating voice into an endless array of wholly original comic creations.

Who could forget the excitable Target Lady, the mischievous Penelope, or (my personal favorite) the perpetually nervous travel expert, Judy Grimes?

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Yet Wiig made the right decision in not taking one of these signature roles and stretching it into a feature-length running time. In Bridesmaids, she plays a single lady in her thirties that any audience member of either sex could relate to. Like the best of Apatow’s comedies, this film transcends the boundaries of gender-targeted entertainment. Though the film has been marketed as a female spin on The Hangover, the film is closer in spirit to character-driven gems such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad. It brought down the house at the packed Friday screening I attended, and went on to gross $34.5 million last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, surpassing studio expectations.

Co-authored by fellow Groundling member Annie Mumolo, Wiig’s script allows the humor to emerge organically from the story, rather than the other way around. The protagonist, Annie (Wiig), is jaded by a series of personal and professional disappointments: her beloved bakery became a casualty of the recession at the same time her boyfriend fled. So when Annie’s newly engaged best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), recruits her to the role of maid of honor, the luckless woman doesn’t know whether to jump for joy or burst into tears. Her anxiety only increases once she meets the rest of the bridesmaids, which include the tenderly withering Helen (played by Rose Byrne in a potently funny turn). 

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There’s an early moment when Annie and Helen fight over a microphone to solidify their status as Lillian’s true best friend. The mixture of childlike impulsiveness and adult insecurity in this sequence would’ve made Lucille Ball proud. It’s one of many uproarious scenes that could easily work as a self-contained sketch. During an increasingly chaotic plane ride, an inebriated Annie attempts to sneak into first class, only to be repeatedly recognized by an agitated airline employee. “No, it’s not me!” she insists. The film also gets great comic mileage out of a sight gag involving a passing car aiming to attract the attention of Annie’s love interest (Chris O’Dowd, very appealing).

Sure, Bridesmaids is guilty of following a formulaic path, comprised of the usual false crises and third act revelations. Yet the film injects such life and spontaneous invention into the material that it’s utterly impossible to resist. As creator of Apatow’s timeless high school sitcom, “Freaks and Geeks,” director Paul Feig has routinely put character development before plot contrivance. He sidesteps two of Apatow’s most routine flaws: an overlong running time and arguably lackluster roles for women. At 125 minutes, the film zips by quickly, leaving audiences to anticipate the hours of equally priceless alternate takes undoubtedly included on its eventual DVD release.

As for the female roles, there isn’t a lackluster one in the bunch. Even the relatively thankless parts score laughs, such as Annie’s mom, played by the late, great Jill Clayburgh in her final film role. Clayburgh’s legacy of breaking cinematic ground with her raw depictions of the female experience, most notably in 1978’s An Unmarried Woman, makes her presence here all the more poignant. Yet none of the bridesmaids make quite as indelible an impression as Plainfield native Melissa McCarthy (“Gilmore Girls”), who emerges here as a natural-born scene-stealer. Her outrageous verbal riffs may inspire comparisons to Zach Galifianakis, but McCarthy exudes an unshakable confidence and authenticity that makes her character much more than a throwaway comic relief.

At a time when audience-insulting sitcoms continue to clog up the multiplexes, Bridesmaids is a cause for celebration. Though Wiig has been granted a handful of opportunities to shine on the big screen (mostly recently in Greg Mottola’s overlooked sci-fi satire, Paul), this film finally gives her the showcase she deserves. Hopefully Tina Fey will take a cue from her the next time she plans on headlining a star vehicle. There’s a reason why Mean Girls remains Fey’s best movie: she wrote it.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Skokie