Bridesmaids
“One wedding. Six bridesmaids. Absolutely nothing goes to plan.”
Director
Paul Feig
Release
24 June 2011
Runtime
125 Minutes
Certificate
15
Synopsis
Annie Walker is struggling. Her business has failed, her romantic life is going nowhere and she's stuck in a situation that feels increasingly impossible to escape. Then her lifelong best friend Lillian announces she's getting married. Annie is delighted to become maid of honour, but joining the bridal party introduces her to Helen — wealthy, confident and apparently capable of organising everything Annie cannot. Their rivalry gradually turns every stage of the wedding preparations into another opportunity for disaster. From an unforgettable dress fitting to a disastrous trip to Las Vegas, Annie's attempts to prove herself only push her further towards breaking point. Yet behind all the chaos is something surprisingly heartfelt. Annie isn't simply afraid of losing her position in the wedding party. She's afraid of losing Lillian and being left behind. That's ultimately what gives Bridesmaids considerably more weight than its wildest comedy sequences might suggest.
The Movie Trailer
Bridesmaids took the familiar wedding comedy and turned it into something much messier, funnier and more emotionally honest. Led by Kristen Wiig as Annie Walker, Paul Feig's 2011 comedy follows a woman whose already chaotic life begins to unravel when her best friend announces she's getting married.
What starts as Annie's determination to be the perfect maid of honour quickly becomes a battle of personalities, money and pride as she finds herself competing with the seemingly flawless Helen. Beneath the outrageous set pieces, however, Bridesmaids is a film about friendship, insecurity and what happens when everyone around you appears to be moving forward while your own life is falling apart.
THE WEDDING FROM HELL
When Annie's Life Starts Falling Apart
At the centre of Bridesmaids is Annie, a woman watching almost every part of her life move in the wrong direction. Becoming maid of honour should give her something positive to focus on, but the wedding instead exposes how insecure and unhappy she has become.
Helen's arrival makes matters considerably worse. Polished, wealthy and seemingly able to solve every problem, she represents everything Annie feels she isn't.
Their escalating rivalry provides many of the film's biggest laughs, but it also gives the comedy an emotional foundation. Annie isn't merely competing over wedding arrangements — she's terrified that her oldest friendship is being replaced.
AN ENSEMBLE THAT WORKS
Kristen Wiig Leads an Exceptional Comedy Cast
Kristen Wiig gives Bridesmaids its centre, balancing Annie's increasingly spectacular disasters with enough vulnerability to keep the character sympathetic.
But the film's ensemble is equally important.
Maya Rudolph brings warmth to Lillian, Rose Byrne is wonderfully controlled as Annie's rival Helen, while Melissa McCarthy's fearless performance as Megan becomes one of the film's defining elements.
Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O'Dowd, and the rest of the supporting cast give Paul Feig a group of characters capable of carrying both the film's quieter moments and its most outrageous comedy.
MORE THAN A WEDDING COMEDY
Why Bridesmaids Still Stands Out
The outrageous moments are easy to remember, but Bridesmaids endured because there is considerably more going on underneath them.
Its real subject is friendship.
Annie's fear that Lillian is moving into a world where she no longer belongs drives much of the story, while her rivalry with Helen expresses everything she dislikes about her own circumstances.
That mix of broad comedy and genuine emotional stakes made Bridesmaids more memorable than another story about an increasingly chaotic wedding.