Acceptable chick flick

Rating: 6/10 (20 September 2013)

I remember very well that this was one of the big movies from the summer of 2011, often being announced as the double X chromosome version of "The Hangover". The fact that it took me over two years to finally watch it makes it obvious I didn't have the greatest interest in seeing it despite the positive reception and awards recognition it was acknowledged with. All in all, it was pretty much what I expected: a decent romcom that definitely overachieved, however.
The very first scene makes the course of the film pretty clear. We hear a couple laughing and moaning as the camera slowly moves closer to them. The initial reaction would be. Oh that's too obvious. Probably gonna fool the viewer in how they're like playing some board-game or actually building some furniture. But nope, it was what it looked like. The film progresses and mostly focuses on Kristen Wiig's character's interactions with the men in her life, her best friend and a new competitor for her best friend's affection. It's all pretty predictable, yet here and there they managed to get a laugh out of me. It's frequently vulgar, casually gross, occasionally funny and rarely gooey. Fans of the TV series Mad Men will enjoy seeing a 21st century version of Don Draper and he hasn't really changed much. Another highlight was Emmy winner Melissa McCarthy's performance who delivered the comedic highlights. I'm not sure if her effort justified the Academy Award nomination, but I'd say she was more deserving than the screenplay.
With easily passing the two-hour-mark, this film runs pretty long for a comedy. I never felt that it dragged though. Admittedly it didn't fly by either. It's a solid effort all in all and I'd recommend it, although I'm fairly certain I'm not interested in a rewatch anytime soon. There's a whole lot of comedies on this level every year. It's a film where you can sit back, relax and suck it in without really having to think that much and that's not necessarily a negative thing. Somethimes it's exactly what I need. The predominantly female cast makes it probably a decent choice for an all-girls DVD night or for whenever one of your friends or family has a wedding coming up.