Today I was talking to a female friend of mine on the phone. I told her I had just gotten back from seeing "Bridesmaids", for what turned out to be the second time. She sounded surprised that I had seen it, since she thought it looked like a "chick flick" and even she had no interest in it. But there's truly a lot going on in the movie, which the commercials that feature the bridesmaid's crazy antics don't bring entirely to light.
"Bridesmaids" (2011)
For starters, yes, the movie is very funny. Hysterically funny. One of the funniest I've seen in a long time. Funny enough to, yes, transcend gender barriers and entertain the guys too, much like how many women I know love "The Hangover" or "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". But I consider "The Hangover" to be kind of an unfair comparison. If one must be made, I found it to be closer in tone and style to another comedy from a couple of years back that I enjoyed, "I Love You, Man". Both that movie and "Bridesmaids" deal with more than just crazy antics (not to diminish any of the sticking points of "The Hangover", all of which it nailed in my opinion.) They were both about friendships, relationships, and coming to terms with being in your 30s and figuring out What It's All About.
"Bridesmaids" takes a slightly backwards approach to the subject compared to "I Love You, Man". Despite the plural title it is very much the story of Annie (Kristen Wiig, who also co-wrote the movie), whose best friend since childhood, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has gotten engaged and made her the maid of honor. It's already a pretty difficult time in her life (a failed business, roommates and a job she hates, being a booty call for a handsome, rich jerk who wants nothing to do with her outside the bedroom.) But when Annie meets the other bridesmaids, particularly wealthy, beautiful, perfect Helen (Rose Byrne, playing the part so sweet that it's impossible to hate her no matter how much you know you should), she begins to question her role in Lillian's future life, as well as the direction of her own. As one disatrous (but hilarious) turn of events after another unfolds, Annie's self-confidence and sanity hang in the balance.
Despite most of the main characters being female there are universal themes that resonate throughout "Bridesmaids". One major one is taking stock of your life. As someone who is over 30 and attempting to start my life over, and aware of how few real friends I have left and how difficult it is to make new ones, this hit home with me in a big way. This theme was what stuck with me, beyond the big and occasionally awkward laughs. There's one particularly telling scene in which one of the other bridemaids, Megan (Melissa McCarthy, this movie's secret weapon) literally wrestles with an extremely down in the dumps Annie, commanding her to "fight for your shitty life". Megan just wanted Annie to believe that life is something not to be given up on, but to be appreciated and fought for, to work up the nerve to face life's challenges head on, and most of all to remember that the people she has in her life do care and will always support and fight for her. I think that's something many people forget when they reach low points in their life, I know I certainly do.
It maybe noble at best, or completely off the rails at worst, to hope that this theme will resonate with most people who see it as much as it did me; I suppose I (and perhaps the filmmakers) can only hope that it does. But I think this movie is really going to surprise people who were expecting a "chick flick" or a "female 'Hangover'", and possibly even inspire a few people to work out of the bad hand life may have dealt them and to fight for their shitty lives too. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that "Bridesmaids" is the movie to beat for funniest of the year, but I'll go one further and, dare I say, call it potentially one of the best.
