Every single cast and crew member should have a retroactive Oscar for their work on this movie.
If you guys only knew how unserious I occasionally get when it comes to this blog…I was unsure what movie to choose as a Wayback for this week and so I thought to myself, “well, I went to a wedding this weekend…maybe I should choose a movie about a wedding.” Which is how I decided to review Bridesmaids (2011)! Yes sir, that’s the type of in-depth thinking I apply to the decision-making process. In all seriousness though, ever since I launched this blog I knew I was going to review this comedic masterpiece at some point. This movie introduced me to so many hilarious actors, a great director (who sadly seems to be pumping out more misses than hits lately) and fantastic screenwriting that continues to inspire me and have me rolling on the floor laughing to this day. I’ve seen Bridesmaids dozens of times over the last 12 years and not only does it hold up, it just gets more hysterical with each watch.
Bridesmaids follows Annie, a down-on-her-luck pastry chef whose life is on a downward spiral. When her best friend Lillian gets engaged and she is chosen as maid of honour, chaos ensues as Annie does her best to make Lillian’s wedding memorable. As well, Annie finds herself in competition for Lillian’s friendship with Helen, a seemingly perfect bridesmaid.
In addition to The Heat (2013) and Spy (2015), Bridesmaids is one of the three comedy movies directed by Paul Feig and starring Melissa McCarthy that are not only immaculately perfect, but also rank as some of my all-time favourite movies. Oh, we’ll talk about those other movies one day, trust and believe. Bridesmaids is the movie that solidified Feig as a sought after director. From top to bottom, across the board, this movie is perfection in every regard. Expert direction, phenomenal performances, and a script that was rightfully nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay have kept myself and viewers like me happily watching this movie again and again for over a decade now. It’s utter joy and delightful from start to finish, with jokes coming at you a mile a minute and still managing to weave in a surprisingly sweet sentiment about how people change as their lives travel in different directions. It’s amazing how before the movie started I was in the mindset of, “I’m kind of tired and not in the mood to watch a movie tonight,” and then only a few minutes in I was laughing my ass off and remembering how much I adore Bridesmaids.
My God, every comedy beat in Bridesmaids is memorably iconic. From Annie and Helen’s one-upmanship during the speech-off, to their passive aggressive debate about change, there isn’t a single bit of comedy that isn’t executed perfected. It’s not even as as if the movie relies on or even really includes “wedding-specific” jokes, it’s just hilarious because of great actors being put in comedic situations that are universally funny. I know bathroom humour isn’t for everyone, but there’s no denying that this movie’s masterful use of it in the bridal store scene is the very apex of how funny food poisoning / shitting yourself / vomiting can be.
What Bridesmaids does so well is take the moments in a bride’s journey that ideally run smoothly (shopping for a dress, having a fun bachelorette party, having an elegant bridal shower) and have the very worst possible thing that could ruin that moment happen. Shitting in your wedding dress, getting forcibly removed from the plane to Vegas and your shower ending in a shouting match about bleached assholes. Simply put, Bridesmaids is comedy gold. Everything about the scene of the bridesmaids on the plane is ICONIC. A laugh-riot that I never get tired of watching. That sequence is so well-performed and so well-written that honestly, the whole movie could have just been their shenanigans on the plane and I would have been a happy camper.
With the exception of Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) – check out my review, here – I don’t think Kristen Wiig has been in a comedy as ridiculously bonkers and good as Bridesmaids. This movie skyrocketed her (and many of her co-stars, like Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd) to movie star status. It’s no wonder why. As Annie, Wiig is sublime in this role, solidifying her as an actress whose inclusion is guaranteed to take a movie from “good” to “great.” Between Wiig and Maya Rudolph, who plays Lillian, I can only imagine how much improvisation went on during the shooting of this movie. Duh, they’d of course done years of Saturday Night Live (1975 – present) together, but the chemistry between Wiig and Rudolph is phenomenal and I wish they were in dozens of more movies together. All of the bridesmaids have a different style of humour and each actress performs it perfectly.
Throughout Bridesmaids there are many actors like Rebel Wilson and Jill Clayburgh who deliver scene-stealing performances with kooky, vulgar lines that are just spit out your drink funny. Of course the undisputed scene-stealer of this movie is Melissa McCarthy. Prior she had done seven seasons of Gilmore Girls (2000 – 2007, 2016) and had a few bit parts in movies, but Bridesmaids catapulted her to stardom. From the second McCarthy opens her mouth she OWNS THIS MOVIE. As Megan, McCarthy delivers a whirlwind of a performance and creates an instantly memorable and iconic comedy character. Everything she does and says is utterly hilarious and more than deserving of her Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. There isn’t a single scene where McCarthy doesn’t command attention and have your sides splitting with laughter.
Comedies just don’t get much better than Bridesmaids. A truly joyous movie that I could easily watch once a month, save the date and RSVP yes to watching this movie for your next movie night.
Have you seen Bridesmaids?
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