Delivers the laughs but remembers to keep the warmth and heart in there too

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2011)

I'd not had my fill of Judd Apatow movies when it came to Bridesmaids being released, but to be honest I was wondering how he managed to get as much success as he had and I had not loved his films as much as everyone else; so, although he was only executive producer of this, it was enough to make me wonder if it was worth the money. I went anyway and was pleased to find that the film not only did his style of humour but did it in such a way that the viewer is along for the ride and cares about the film rather than being on the outside, which I had found can happen with some of his own stuff.
Bridesmaids follows a group of women mostly in their mid-30's and focuses on Annie, who is semi-trapped in a f-buddy "relationship" because it is at least something even though it is not what she wants. When her best friend gets engaged, Annie finds herself in a battle of one-upmanship with Lillian's new friend Helen (who is quite wealthy) in terms of showering the bride-to-be with love. At the same time as losing these battles, Annie's unhappiness also ruins other aspects of her life. It is a fairly relatable tale, even for men but more importantly it is very funny.
In terms of the majority of the film what we have is a serious of comic misadventures for Annie as nice ideas turn sour; a pre-fitting meal turns into a terrible toilet-related experience, a fear of flying sees her drunk at 40000 feet and so on. All of it is pretty much par for the course (indeed the female characters even talk in the "dude" language of Apatow's films) but yet it works because it has energy and imagination in its execution. The script is tight as a drum and the awkward aspect of the comedy is well used. What really made it work for me though, was that I felt the film had a genuine heart and warmth to it that isn't always there with similar films. I understood Annie and also cared for her, so I had a connection to the film beyond waiting for the next laugh. Although the comedy did involve nudity, sex, bodily functions and swearing, it never felt cruel towards the characters or that any of the characters were simply written that way to get a laugh. Even with Megan, she was a funny character, but she was still a character I liked rather than just being the butt of jokes. I laughed frequently throughout but at the same time still cared about the characters.
The cast are all good even though it is the oddest cast selection I have seen in quite some time – so many odd sources, so many faces I know from TV (some of whom never even had a word to say). Wiig is really relatable and funny, with just enough edge of pained loneliness to carry that side of the film; OK she should pay 50% of her fee for this to Tina Fey because of how much of Fey is in her performance, but it works nonetheless. Rudolph is really natural and the rest of the group all have a similar air of realism. McCarthy is hilarious, even in little asides she is great; Kemper sort of repeats her Office turn to good effect; St Claire is funny in a limited way while Byrne is just a perfect bitch with money and fake smiles. The supporting cast beyond this are such an odd mix of names and faces that even a few days later I'm still thinking "how did all of that come together". Firstly the male lead is an Irish comedian famous for a UK sitcom; O'Dowd does a great job and I thought he had an easy chemistry that worked so well with Wiig, but he was still an odd find. Matt Lucas is here too, and there's Terry Crews in a tiny role (Everybody Hates Chris), and the N.General from Deadwood (Ajaye), and John Hamm, and Michael Scott's old boss David from The Office (who doesn't even get a word); it is an unusual cast to say the least but yet it works because everyone (even small roles) are on point.
Bridesmaids is not too different from similar pack comedies that deal with grownup "dudes" struggling with adult life, but yet as an end product it is stronger than these similar products. That the stars are women is neither here nor there, the difference is that although the very funny comedy is based on bodily functions, sex and exaggeration as normal, Bridesmaids remembers that it helps to like the characters involved and that it helps to give the film at least some heart and warmth. It is this sense of charm and warmth that made the difference for me – not only was I laughing frequently, but I actually liked the film for how nice it was as well.