Review of Bridesmaids (2011) by Facebook U — 29 May 2016

I really liked this movie. It was genuinely funny and I felt a LOT of empathy for Annie. But [SPOILER ALERT] something that bugged me a bit about this film was how, after all that Annie went through, she was made to feel like the guilty party and that she had to apologise to everyone.

I didn't think she had to apologise at all! The food poisoning, Helen later pretty much admitted was her fault. The airplane antics were also Helen's fault for slipping her dodgy pills. The morning after with Rhodes, when he pressured her into baking again, when it was obviously a difficult area for her.

I could totally understand her getting upset, I didn't think she treated him badly at all. Quite the opposite in fact. The only part where I think Annie was to blame was when she finally cracked at the french-themed shower and caused a huge scene.

But I could still understand her frustration. So for the film to take the direction that Annie was basically totally to blame for everything, and any injustice she feels for herself is just self-pity and not allowed, and she has to apologise to everybody; that just felt so wrong and misguided.

Annie is a great person and needn't apologise to anyone. Whereas Rhodes is insensitive and I don't like the power imbalance between him and Annie. It's like he just expects her to come crawling back all guiltily because he's the guy.

[I'm a guy writing this btw!]. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I LOVE ANNIE! What I wanted is for a character [shouldve been Rhodes] to have just come alongside Annie and said "Seems like this Helen bird is a bitch! You've done nothing wrong at all.

" and to have just understood where she was coming from. But she never got that. I guess I related a lot to Annie, and it was like seeing myself, with all my foibles, in a movie, and then experiencing that same sense of loneliness as I do in real life.

The feeling of being misunderstood. I can feel it again already, people reading this thinking "oh boo hoo, poor you, all misunderstood", and I feel as though the world won't allow you to feel sorry for yourself for even one second.

Well screw that! It's the truth. I DO feel misunderstood. I do feel like I've been trying really hard in life, but have still been dealt some crappy hands. But that's not self-pity. That's just processing emotion.

Self-pity is giving up. I haven't given up. Not by a long shot.