Bridesmaids

Classical comedies always ended with a wedding. It's actually a part of the definition of a comedy, the way classical tragedies always end in death. So why should “Bridesmaids” mess with a tried and true formula there. The film is the first writing effort of hilarious comedic performer Kristen Wiig, best known for Saturday Night Live and the funniest movie nobody saw “MacGruber.” It is co-written by Annie Mumolo, who along with Paul Feig, Judd Apatow and a treasure trove of comedic talent, deserve all the credit for the film’s success.

And it is a successful film. Not just financially which is what the studios care about, but as a film it succeeds in everything it sets out to accomplish. “Bridesmaids” center’s around Kristen Wiig’s character as her childhood friend, played by Maya Rudolph, is about to get married and make's her the maid of honor. Maya Rudolph is so underrated as an actress and a comedian it’s criminal. However the breakout star of the film is Melissa McCarthy. It was either pure luck or pure talent that led to her having the best lines and scenes throughout the entirety of the film. The film mines some knew territory while subverting some of the common tropes of film comedies and the romanticism of modern wedding rituals.

Some parts of the ending drag on and on as the film wraps itself up in a satisfying way. But if there is one movie that will without a shadow of a doubt have a great DVD, it’s this one. Surely there are hours and hours of footage that didn’t make it into the film although they were worthy. As a bit of an odd side note: it’s not clear who to blame for a semiotic scene in which Wiig devours a flower shaped cupcake, but it set up some weird expectations that fortunately the film did not fulfill as it would not have fit within this particular story. And that’s what you learn in film school, to analyze things to an unreasonable degree. If you love to laugh then go see this movie.