Less than groundbreaking but fun overall

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2012)

Given the reviews and the comments by many of those who'd already seen the movie, I was expecting "Bridesmaids" to be a bit more of a raucous affair than it ultimately turned out to be. Yet, while it isn't exactly the "groundbreaking" film so many people had described it as being, there's enough you-go-girl sassiness and charm to make it a pleasant enough comedic experience.
SNL alums, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the screenplay with Annie Mumolo), play best friends from childhood, Lillian and Annie, the former a career-woman who's getting ready to tie the knot with a wealthy banker, and the latter, an insecure bundle of neuroses with commitment issues whom Lillian has asked to be her bridesmaid. Into the breach steps Rose Byrne (Glenn Close's bete noire from TV's "Damages"), as Lillian's snooty new friend whom Annie sees as a rival for Lillian's affections. The focus of the screenplay is mainly on Annie, as she goes about subconsciously sabotaging many of the traditional pre-wedding festivities, as well as her own chances at happiness.
Though the women here are occasionally foul-mouthed and uninhibited in their behavior and topics of conversation, they really aren't as crude and vulgar as the media - looking for a look-even-women-can-be-as-bad as-men storyline - has made them out to be. In fact, the tone of much of the movie is sweet and thoughtful, as Annie copes with her very recognizably human feelings of inferiority and jealousy.
Directed by Paul Feig, the movie alternates between broad slapstick and sophisticated satire without skipping a beat, though there is the occasional dry-spot to slow down the proceedings. And Melissa McCarthy ("Mike and Molly") steals every scene she's in as a straight-talking tomboy who obviously flunked out of the Miss Manners School of Social Etiquette.
It's not a great comedy by any stretch, but it's hard not to be won over by it in the end.