Effortlessly hilarious, great characterization

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2016)

Bridesmaids is a hilarious piece of social realist comedy; behind the dull patina of day-to-day suburban life for a group of Midwestern women is a constant stream of fearless, hilarious one liners. Mainstream critics largely applauded the film also, for building up it's sense of character arc and having a bit of comedic depth, the film celebrates the diverse identities of modern American women, and the casting is excellent.
As with most funny comedies, Bridesmaids riffs on a relatable theme. Central character Annie Walker is in her late thirties, driving a bombed-out second hand car, depressed, incapable of finding a decent relationship, and already has a few age wrinkles. Her lifelong friend is getting married and Annie's stricken with jealousy because her lifelong (read: former high- school) friend is basically being stolen by an American socialite trophy wife; a young, attractive second partner to an anonymous businessman who's away from home most of the time.
BE AWARE: virtually ALL Hollywood films feature a male protagonist, with female cast members appearing only to react to or enable a plot point in relation to the central male ego that the narrative serves. In Bridesmaids, the leads are all female, and the male characters mostly exist unseen or somewhere else in the story.
The film goes a tad sentimental in the closing scenes, ending as all such films do, with a romantic conclusion - Bridesmaids isn't really about romance though, more the idea of life's failures and a type of crass, caustic humor that's very funny because of it's disarming honesty.