Weekly Review -- In sickness and in health and in laughter

Bridesmaids (2011) -- I take quite the tough love approach with my humor. I pre-judge, I overthink, and I am choosy about the comedies I watch, simply because I like sophisticated, laugh-out-loud, witty jokes, those zingers that I find not many works can provide. Therefore, I was not sure what to make of Bridesmaids when I first saw it advertised.

Like many others, I had heard a whole lot of praise about this Paul Feig film. I did not believe the hype and I did not have high hopes. I saw the trailer, but I was not too impressed, since nothing suggested this was something that could actually make me smile, let alone laugh. I do not appreciate crude humor and I am not a fan of too many recent comedies. To sum it up, I was not keen on seeing what I thought might be an overrated production about a bunch of loud gal pals overdosing on fraternity-style gags.

Boy, was I wrong. Capital W wrong.

I will say it again. I was wrong. This is one of the funniest and most intelligent films you will have enjoyed this year. It is one of those cinematic delights where the characters, jokes and chemistry come together to create a truly entertaining experience, borne of life's ups and downs and seen through an occasionally whimsical and always sardonic lens.

Annie (co-writer Kristen Wiig) is an unemployed pastry chef, who is also down on her luck with love. Being involved with Ted (Jon Hamm), a friend with benefits that makes one yearn for enemies, she does not care to date, since she likes the uncomplicated arrangement they share. When her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) announces her upcoming wedding, Annie finds a rival in Helen (Rose Byrne), Lillian's new acquaintance and newly appointed maid of honor. As the two squabble over the wedding preparations and as Annie gets to know the other bridesmaids, she starts realizing that her entire life and outlook needs to shift dramatically...

The writing is what makes the film tick. Without Wiig and Annie Mumolo's sensitive yet brawny script, the piece would have fallen apart within the first five minutes. Not only does the film satirize the insanity of the vain and commercialized wedding industry, it also fleshes out characters of substance, those rare creatures that the audience relates to and roots for. The principal and supporting characters alike add to the madness, every one of them a flash of comedic brilliance. Fictional though they are, they each take a little bit from our own reality to shine, dealing with friendships, unemployment, love, sex, you name it. Feig recognizes the parallels, and one gets the impression that improvisation was encouraged throughout the shoot, a concept that enriches the proceedings. The deceptively light story shows human beings living and laughing together while reeling through the circus of over-the-top conventions, only to realize at the end that their bond is now stronger than ever.

The cast is, for lack of a better word, perfect. Wiig is a bumbling star as Annie, her appeal alternating from charm to sarcasm in mere moments. I had first noticed Wiig in Knocked Up, where her deadpan delivery made her stand out immediately, and here the trait contributes to every line coming from a place of pure ingenuity. Rose Byrne is a revelation as the uptight Helen, and I hope that she continues to explore the genre over the course of her career. Melissa McCarthy is terrific as Megan, a woman who might be rough around the edges, but whose vulnerability shows whenever someone else needs rescuing. Wendi McLendon-Covey is the epitome of crass kookiness as the discontent Rita, and Rudolph is great as the self-obsessed Lillian. Chris O'Dowd is a lovable teddy bear as the sweet police officer Annie accidentally meets, while Hamm impresses as the biggest dolt this side of Jesse James. Seriously, give this man more roles. Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson also deserve special mention as Gil and Brynn, Annie's roommates from hell. Finally, Jill Clayburgh is poignancy personified as Annie's mother Judy, in her last screen role. Truthfully, I could not find one weak performance among the cast. Every portrayal left me either wondering why I was not more familiar with that particular actor or wishing to see much more of them in the future.

In lesser hands, a film with this kind of topic might have ended up leaning toward tiresome schlock or exploitative lewdness. Thankfully, Bridesmaids is a rare gem that does not fall prey to such clichés. Smart, sexy and hilarious, it overturns expectations and makes you want to call up your best friends for a heart-to-heart chat, showing that the film's greatest asset is the comforting sound of its loudly thumping heart.

10/10