La boda de mi mejor amiga

Let's be honest: when we saw the first trailer for Bridesmaids, who among us didn't think it looked like a dismal rehash of The Hangover (only this one, of course, features a "ratpack" of women)? Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that Bridesmaids is better than The Hangover. I have yet to see The Hangover Part 2, so I can't comment on any similarities/differences that might or might not exist. But one thing is for sure: Kristen Wiig has proved her worth as a female lead with a serious amount of comedic clout.

The story isn't revolutionary: one of two best friends is getting married, and everything involved with said nuptials is threatening to tear their lifelong friendship apart. At the center of this battle is Helen, a newly acquired "friend"—via the merging of two exclusive social circles—who begins taking over the wedding plans for Lillian (Rudolph). Annie (Wiig) makes it her mission to take out this she-devil, and what follows is the setup for one of the more memorable meltdowns (among a plethora of other things) to come along in quite some time. Bridesmaids is also peppered with the sort of humor that made movies like Superbad and Knocked Up so funny—it's observant and kitschy in that it rightly jabs several other films that have braved similar issues. In fact, the previously mentioned Hangover is, in at least a very minute way, one of these movies. In what initially appears to be a sad "bow" to The Hangover as king of the pre-wedding funnies, the girls decide to go to Vegas for Lillian's bachelorette party. This ends up being a perfectly welcome curve ball, though, as screenwriters Wiig and Mumolo brilliantly utilize the length of the plane trip to said destination to further flesh out their characters and create an impressively humorous string of in-flight mishaps.

There are a number of other contributors who make Bridesmaids work extraordinarily well, but, as is the case with any solid piece of cinema, it's best if you set aside some time to take in the whole thing in one fell swoop and let it unravel of its own volition. Sure, it's extraordinarily raunchy from time to time, but the nuanced, perfectly- timed moments of comedic genius make it a very worthwhile trip.

My friends invited me to a preview screening of Bridesmaids last night, and I accepted the invitation with a sense of cautious optimism. The trailer for the film admittedly didn't do much for me, but I was intrigued by the concept of a female-driven Apatow film. Ultimately, I went into the theater with modest expectations, hoping to get a few good laughs out of it.

By the time we came out of the theater, my three friends and I had smiles plastered across our faces, and we couldn't stop talking about the film for the next couple hours. We all loved it. I think it easily ranks with the best of the Apatow productions, and it might even be my personal favorite. Like all of Apatow's productions, there are admittedly scenes that arguably go a little too far or a little too long, but that's a small criticism when the film successfully fires on so many other cylinders.

To start with, the film is hilarious, and I think the comedy far exceeds the standalone bits shown in the trailer. Scene after scene is filled with humorous and often sidesplitting moments, and they had the theater in an uproar during the screening. I can't say enough about Kristen Wiig. Prior to this, I've always liked her to some extent but never really loved her. I think she's good at what she does, but I wasn't sure her shtick could sustain an entire film. Would her passive aggressive wit get old? Is it the only note she can play? Can she handle anything more dramatic? Ultimately, she blew me away in this film. Not only is she consistently and uniquely funny, but her character is surprisingly well-developed, and Wiig brings the character to vibrant and dynamic life on-screen.

And this brings me to my next point about Bridesmaids: the film has a surprising amount of depth that completely caught me off guard. Bridesmaids isn't a quickie 80-minute gag fest by any stretch of the imagination; it's actually a leisurely paced 2-hour character-driven comedy that takes time to develop its characters and establish the various relationships and resultant conflicts between them. Ultimately, the film ends up being quite heartfelt and even rather sad in places. Despite the over-the-top antics shown in the trailer, the themes that the film explores are actually quite grounded. Kristen Wiig's character is someone who is feeling completely let down by life, which is a place we've all been, and the personal journey of her character resonated strongly for me. While her character is easily the most well-developed of the bunch, even the other bridesmaids ultimately show some three-dimensionality as well, despite the fact that they are sometimes initially introduced as two-dimensional caricatures.

Ultimately, Bridesmaids was one of the most enjoyable comedies I've seen in a long time. It's certainly not perfect: it could probably do with some editing, there might be a few too many subplots (some of which are left unexplored), and it arguably goes too over-the-top at times, but everything else about the film works so well that these complaints are little more than nitpicks. While I applaud everyone involved in the production, it is Kristen Wiig who deserves the most accolades. As co-writer and lead actress, she plays a huge part in the film's success, and I sincerely hope this film puts her on the Hollywood map, as I would love to see more from her in the future. Whatever the case may be, Bridesmaids certainly makes for a successful maiden voyage for her into the world of feature-film comedies.

This is the funniest film ever made. Hands down. And it gets funnier every time. I have never laughed so hard, and I quote it almost daily. Just perfection!

The cast are all amazing and are perfectly cast. Kristen Wigg has never been better. There are just too many funny scenes- the plane scene is an absolute classic. If you don't pretend to be Ms Iglesias on your next flight then there is something wrong with you. But all the scenes are hilarious- the wedding speeches, any scene with Annie's mam, any scene with Megan, any scene with Rita... just brilliant. You feel like, somehow, even though they're all completely bonkers, you know them. And you leave the film feeling great.

Watch it... on repeat! You will not regret it!

There are many prickly relationship comedies, many wedding related comedies, many gross-out comedies, many my-life-is-a-mess comedies and many comedies that shoe-horn in a romance.

This has all those familiar elements but it works really well. It is well-paced despite the long run time, with a good mix of the various elements that keeps the entertainment and comedy value strong. Importantly the characters and relationships seem believable which makes the comedy parts so much more effective when they happen.

Kristen Wiig plays the lead character and co-wrote (taking care to include romantic associations with two really attractive guys). Wiig is really funny and effective in the role. I also really enjoyed the performances of Rose Byrne and Chris O'Dowd. Melissa McCarthy is good and her bit on the plane was really funny.

I'm going to tell you now that the advertising for this movie is weak. It comes off as some kind of chick flick, it's trailer gets a few chuckles out, but it really does not do the film justice. Bridesmaids will be the surprising film of the year and could very well even be the comedy of the year, topping films like The Hangover II and 30 Minutes Or Less. Yes, it's that funny. And I will tell you now, this is not the film you think it is.

Bridesmaids is a fairly simple film that sees one unlucky lady being the maid of honor for her best friend while attempting to plan the wedding. All of this as her own life falls apart at her feet. Suffice to say, hilarity ensues. And it really does ensue. Surprisingly, despite what you might think, this is not a chick flick. It's got romcom elements to it, but it's like any other comedy, but with that rare all female cast. I can't remember the last time laughing this much during a movie. It helps that everything falls into place so well. Kristen Wiig is hilarious and this should be her star making film. She carries this with great talent and is at her most hilarious here, while still playing the emotional parts very well. There wasn't a single moment that brought me out of the film, and that is the sign of a film well done. Her surrounding cast does as great a job, with Melissa McCarthy being the standout as the token obnoxious groupie. Nearly all the scenes featuring her are laugh out loud funny.

The writing also shines here as it's Apatowian comedy comes through. This is reminiscent of the early Apatow films, like 30 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. The comedy lingers at some moments, and even shoots for being uncomfortable. The dress scene in particular is gross, but probably got the biggest laughs, as I could hear people in the theater barely containing themselves. But again, the film is a constant laugh riot. It certainly does have a very nice emotional backbone and that comes across well with a very relatable story that isn't so much about any kind of romance but rather someone who is losing their mind. You feel bad for Wiig's character, but not in a way that makes her sappy or over the top. Rather, it's a down to earth kind of falling apart that anyone could relate to. Much in the way that Knocked Up and Superbad worked for their relative stories, Bridesmaids is a rare comedy that has an all female cast, yet can appeal to anyone.

I guess that's the biggest surprise here, that this is a film that can work for everyone. My audience was mostly female, but everyone was cracking up the entire time. So, don't let that fool you. Nor should you let the advertising fool you either. This is one hilarious film that you would be sorry to have missed.