Review of Bridesmaids (2011) by Halfwelshman — 28 Dec 2011

Bridesmaids seems to have been dubbed "The Hangover for girls" by just about everyone. It really isn't. The Hangover can only dream of being this funny, well-written and honest. The film gets the balance of comedy just right - the jokes are dirty but never tasteless, it's sweary but rarely excessive, and you can never go wrong with a good old-fashioned bit of slapstick.

The overall quality of Bridesmaids can be almost entirely credited to Kristen Wiig. As well as playing the lead, Annie (a well-developed and rounded character, and a compellingly relatable protagonist), she co-wrote the film, and was one of the main driving forces behind its development.

Wiig proves she is a great comic and dramatic talent, and the rest of the cast all add something to the film - Rose Byrne's Helen is the perfect rich **** Chris O'Dowd's good-natured and by-the book Officer Rhodes makes a great love interest for Annie, and Melissa McCarthy provides a good proportion of the chuckles as the borderline-psychotic, sex-crazed sister of the groom, Megan.

The laughs are plentiful throughout, but the best scenes by far are those where Annie and Helen try and compete for the Bride's (Maya Rudolph) affections (though the scene where the bridesmaids get food poisoning while trying on dresses and where Annie exchanges progressively more brutal insults with a pre-teen girl aren't far behind).

Bridesmaids isn't just worth a watch because of the novelty of an almost entirely female-driven comedy film. It's a great film, end-of. It's got some brilliant performances, drama and truckloads of great gags.

It's the funniest film of the year by a long way, and if we see more like this in the near future, then I'll be very happy, and crying with laughter for a good while.