When the Hangover came out it set a new bar for the type of high level raunchy comedy that audience's love to watch, and naturally afterwards many films attempted to re-create that same energy but failed to do so. It is difficult to say why that is, but what matters is that this past summer we were treated to a new comedy featuring a cast of women who set the bar even higher for what is considered funny these days.
Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph as two best friends who have known each other for years. Kristen's character, Annie, is a jewelry store clerk who is clearly unhappy with where she is at in life. At one point she was the owner and operator of a stylish bakery, but when the economy went south, so did her bakery and with no other options in sight she chose the only job available at the time. Her frustration over the loss of her dream and the feeling of failure she holds are obvious to anyone who studies her actions throughout the film.
Now she is stuck at a dead-end job, occasionally sleeping with a man who treats her like a plaything and she allows it because she feels this is what she deserves. So naturally when her best friend Lillian (Rudolph) informs her of her engagement she can barely manage even a small amount of happiness over this latest stab to the chest. For Annie this is just another sign that everyone in her life is finding happiness and she can't. What makes it worse for Annie is the news that Lillian is becoming close with a new woman by the name of Whitney (Jessica St Clair) who excels at talking down to everyone without actually saying anything mean.
Things become compounded for Annie when Whitney is added to the bridal party and immediately attempts to wrestle control of the bridal shower duties from Annie. Of course Annie, being dead set on succeeding at this one thing, goes beyond the norm when coming up with festivities for them to take part in. One incident in particular comes to mind when Annie brings them to a local ethnic restaurant and winds up giving everyone diarrhea. This results in a hysterical scene where each of them unsuccessfully attempts to find the nearest bathroom.
Naturally there is love interest for Annie in this film that comes in the form of an Irish-American cop named Nathan Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd) who seems to always find Annie when she is at her most vulnerable. Finally Annie has a falling out with Lillian at her bridal shower when she throws a huge tantrum and finds herself out of the wedding. Now with no friends, no place to live and no job Annie has no choice but to face up to the reality of her life and make some big decisions. Will Annie and Lillian make up? Will she find love with Officer Rhodes? Will she be able to find a new career? All of these questions will be answered and along the way you will find yourself crying with laughter at all of the outrageous characters and situations that everyone finds themselves in.
Now out on DVD this we are treated to some fantastic extras along with the film. All packed on one disc is a bevy of special features starting with the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. Also there is a feature commentary starring the director (Paul Feig), writer (Annie Munolo), Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ellie Kemper. There are also some deleted, alternate and extended scenes, a gag reel, a reel featuring some of the hilarious one-liners from all of the cast and a faux commercial starring the owner of the jewelry store Annie works at.
Bridesmaids was a hilarious film that showcased some wonderful talent from veterans like Wiig and Rudolph while also bringing to the forefront other lesser known players, such as Melissa McCarthy. She stole every scene she was in playing Lillian's fiancé's sister, Megan and her one-liners during in the bonus section are beyond compare.
All in all with such amazing talent it just proves even more that Bridesmaids was by far the best comedy of this summer.
