SYNOPSIS: This spring, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) and director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks) invite you to experience Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony.

Annie’s life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love. 

REVIEW: From the get go, this movie is non-stop raunchy, direct, no-holds barred humor. It is extremely funny and some of that is also of the shock type. I laughed hard and a lot. Priscilla and I both agree that this is one of the funniest movies we have seen in a while. The best part about it for me was that it was unexpected. I expected just another cheesy comedy that will give you a few laughs but that’s about it. Well this was a lot more. Sure the story is simple enough but the script and the performances take it up a notch. There might be some comparisons with Hangover due to the similar subject matter and humor style. Dare I say, yes I will, it was better than the Hangover (don’t know yet where Hangover 2 will rank though). If you are familiar with my reviews you might remember my cry meter. If I laugh hard and long enough, I cry and so I can rate the quality of comedies via my cry meter. Let’s just say that I was teary eyed for practically the entire movie. But there is more than just humor in this picture because you also get a little bit of drama, romance, and a feel good conclusion. The cast is excellent. Starting with the star of the show, Kristen Wiig as Annie the Maid of Honor, she really is a great comedic actress that dare I say is underappreciated. Her line delivery is impeccable and even her facial expressions are a treat. I believe this is her first main starring role and she carried the movie better than well. These SNL guys are such incredible talents and what a list of stars. Maya Rudolph, another SNL alum, plays Lillian the Bride. Her comedic chemistry with Kristen was pretty good. Surprisingly however, Rose Byrne had even better chemistry. I’m not used to seeing Rose in a comedy so I was impressed by her performance. She plays Helen, new friend to Lillian and rival to Annie and thus lies the conflict in the story. The competition for Lillian’s affection, attention, and appreciation is fierce and Rose plays the role masterfully. All the other bridesmaids were also good with their roles but the one that probably stands out the most is Melissa McCarthy’s Megan. She was hilarious and one of Priscilla’s favorites. Another smaller but very sharp performance was given by Jon Hamm as Ted, one of Annie’s “friends”. It was scary how well he played an a-hole supreme womanizer. The other main guy in the film, Rhodes, is played by Chris O’Dowd. He is the complete opposite of Ted and the primary source of romance in the movie. 

“Every director should take an acting class.” So says Director Paul Feig so has also done many small supporting roles. Having directed mostly TV comedy productions, he demonstrates that he can hold his own on the big screen as well. I’ll conclude the review with a two word spoiler . . . Wilson Phillips.