Movie Review: Bridesmaids

Posted in The Little Paper of San Saba. I am the movie critic - hurrah! (The town does not have a theater - ha)

This movie critic gives Bridesmaids an A and a F. Stick with me folks. Here's some dialogue and description of the movie experience, plus an inner monologue (that'll be in italics).
Cast -Joanne Faries (JF) your critic. Linda T (LT) friend and moviegoer. Joanne's husband Ray declined this movie - genius fellow.

Email - day of movie:
JF: So, see you at 4:15 in the lobby. Looking forward to seeing Bridesmaids.
LT: Absolutely. Ready for some laughs and it's received good reviews in EW and newspapers (Shows how much they know)

1/4 of the way thru the movie:
LT leans over: I'm so sorry I picked this.
JF whispers: It's okay. I'd read there were gross parts. Just not our style. (Reader - keep in mind most viewers were howling as the bridesmaids, after a brazilian lunch, are now barfing on bridesmaid dresses, each other, and they are pooping in their pants. Ugh. Double Ugh. Not funny)

JF: Much better. Kristen Wiig, as Annie, has some great lines. Here where she's trying to one-up a new friend/bridesmaid (Rose Byrne, who's gorgeous) is cringeworthy but humorous. Maya Rudolph, as the bride-to-be is awesome. She has understated talent and soulful eyes).

LT and JF: We are laughing out loud at Jon Hamm (from Mad Men). He's so good looking and he plays such a jerk in this flick. Annie keeps coming back to him and he just puts her down. Wants her to leave after sex. Won't agree to go to the wedding with her. Ultimately she's third choice. Any scene with him is sadly pathetically humorous.

mid movie:
LT: Oh dear
JF: It's okay. (So, it's the bridal shower at the rich friend's home and it is absolutely over-the-top crazy. Well, Annie snaps. Funny at first, but then the scene goes ridiculously stupidly nuts. It's a shame that Kristen Wiig thought this was worthy of her talent)

post movie:
LT: I'm never picking a movie again.
JF: Yes, you are. There were a lot of clever lines.

Summary:
Bridesmaids is Hangover for women. That's a shame, in my opinion (though I liked Hangover for what it was at the time, but no need to duplicate). I wish the women in charge had been so much smarter. Great cast. Awesome lines. And then stupid toilet humor. Ugh. The parts with real feelings, real friendships, real long-term deep emotions were SO good. They resonated with me.

The concept of Annie hitting bottom and then going even lower was well handled. These are all women who aren't kids and the movie, when it explores some of these depths, is absolute gold. But when it goes for the cheap laughs ... it cheapens itself. Now the dollars are speaking at the box office, so I know nothing. However, I do know I'm disappointed. Bridesmaids could have been SO MUCH BETTER.

See you at the movies ... matinee, that is ...