Better Bridesmaids

I did myself a favor tonight and saw Bridesmaids. I knew it'd be funny, because everyone and their brother has been saying that for weeks. It was kind of one of those surprises, though, like The Hangover or Superbad or Get Him to the Greek. It was more than funny. It was good. Don't get me wrong. I like funny; it's just that drunken, raunchy humor sometimes focuses so much on the humor that it forgets the story. This movie (as well as the others mentioned) excelled on many levels, and this is why I loved it:

* SPOILER ALERT (If you haven't yet seen this movie, you may not want to read further)

1. It was set and filmed in Milwaukee. I always thought Milwaukee was underrepresented in movies. It has a lot of cultural appeal and visual interest and is no less exciting than any other biggish city. I also liked that I recognized most of the places in the background. They forgot the Midwest accents, though.

2. Kristen Wiig is my hero. And her character is someone I can relate to. If I were in my 30s right now, my life would be like Annie's. Except that I'd be way less funny and then I'd just be pathetic. Kristen Wiig's humor is so even and surprising that sometimes I don't realize something is funny until after the moment is over. Which just makes it funnier. I love love love this girl and hope to see her in more stuff.

3. It was nice to see Melissa McCarthy in a role other than the "chubby neurotic best friend" like in Gilmore Girls. She was hysterical if not a little disturbing, and her character was maybe just a little representative a certain type of Wisconsin woman.

4. A charming Irishman makes just about everything better. I have never seen or heard of the actor who played Officer Rhodes, but he was a treat. He was adorable and I wish his character was real.

5. This movie, while over the top, does strike some pretty authentic chords in woman who are in a bridal party. Most bridal parties are a tossed salad of unique personalities with different relationships to the bride, and when they all come together, chaos often ensues. It is also kind of hard to be the one person in a group of women who doesn't have their shit together. Woman (at least the women I know) are generally in search of three things: A good job, a husband/family, and a comfortable home-not necessarily in that order. When one struggling woman gets thrown into a mix with other woman who seem to have at least one of those things figured out, her failure becomes magnified...at least to herself. It's also kind of hard to watch your best friend get married. It's a strange mix of emotions, really- happiness, pride, envy, and just a twinge of sadness- because you know your relationship will inevitably change and there's a little part of you that is envious that she found what you hope to have.

All of these things combined produced an excellent movie that I think all woman should see for a good laugh and a good story and all men should see to get a little more insight into the female psyche. My only complaint is that I wish Kristen Wiig's happy ending would have been a little more tied up....mostly because I would have liked to see more Rhodes.  Maybe they're working on a sequel...

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5