Bridesmaids --72/100--
Maybe this is not the type of film you’d expect a guy to watch by himself but I make no apologies. I’m weird like that and there are some talented people at work here. I can see why it struck a popular nerve this year, it has a Hangover vibe that makes it easier to like than your run-of-the-mill romcom. It has a pretty disaffected view of modern romance, focusing more on sisterhood than relationships.
I’m not going to spend time revisiting the plot. They’re bridesmaids. There are hijinks and a rivalry, things get bitchy but (spoiler!) they work out pretty okay in the end. At over two hours there felt like a lot of wasted time - about 25 minutes longer than necessary - so at its worst the scenes are no different than a shitty SNL skit that goes on well past the best punchline with no end in sight. But at its best it’s pretty effing funny. Such is the beast of improv-based comedy, see what sticks.
I have mixed feelings about Kristen Wiig. I find her likable playing it straight but it seems she has to go drunk or step way outside the part here to get laughs so there’s no consistency to the character. Then again, I’m not sure if I’d rather see her do a flat-out wackier character on the big screen like she so often does on SNL, because they tend to grate very quickly. She’s better in very small doses, I think.
The rest of the ensemble is serviceable if not very well fleshed out. Maya Rudolph is given almost nothing funny to do except make reaction faces and that is unfortunate. She might have killed in a less “normal” role. The notable exception of course is the hilarious Melissa McCarthy who manages to outshine them all by stealing every scene, and I find it even more delicious after hearing she joked with GQ about basing her style and performance on Guy Fieri.
I have a couple of little switches in my head that activate when a film resorts to bathroom humor the way that Bridesmaids often does. I’m a bit old school, so the first switch clicks on and begs for a little more intelligence and sophistication and wonders when the world went crazy, longing for a return to the wild-eyed innocence of youth. Then, usually, the second switch gives the first switch a swift knee to the groin and poops on it, allowing me to shut my mind off, sit back and laugh my balls off.
Wait...What’s this!?
TWICE THE PLEASURE!!
Young Adult --79/100--
This seemed a good thematic sister to Bridesmaids, so I’m doing a double-up on today’s post. They both have a central female character fighting the good fight on behalf of the childless, unmarried segment of the population and illuminating that specific lonely ennui with varying levels of success. While Bridesmaids thrives on broad comedy, Young Adult is closer to drama. Considering it reunites the writing/directing tandem that produced Juno (Diablo Cody/Jason Reitman), be assured there is a fair dose of heady comedy for good measure.
Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is the ghost-writer - “author,” as she repeatedly corrects - of a wildly successful but recently axed series of young adult novels (NOT vampires). She’s also divorced, lonely and a functional alcoholic so it doesn’t take much to send her back to her hometown to revisit her prom-queen days and try to win back her old beau, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). In her mind, the fact that he has a wife and new baby is just a little bump on the inevitable road to rekindled romance. Along the way she bumps into Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), a classmate she only (barely) remembers as that guy that got beaten up senior year and missed 6 months of school. Ultimately, they have more in common than meets the eye, and the emotional center of the film lies in their connection as they manage - or fail - to come to terms with the past and the present.
I’ve never been overly impressed with Theron, but she is excellent here controlling the wide swings between bravado and despondency, although the costuming and makeup crews deserve a lot of credit for completing the characterization. And as a fan of Oswalt’s comedy it’s good to see him get a substantial part that feels written just for him, a small victory for lumpy geeks everywhere.
On the heels of Up in the Air (of which I did not enjoy the second half nearly as much as the first) it’s clear that Reitman has developed a keen eye as a visual storyteller. His style pairs well with a sharp script, which Cody provides. That’s not to say that it is without fault. The YA novel “narration” was tenuous and simplistic. There are some odd moments and some convenient constructions. (She’s an alcoholic; Matt happens to have a distillery in his garage; I’m sure is perfectly natural and healthy for someone who probably also takes a lot of painkillers.) The comparisons to Juno are inevitable but I liked this better. It feels smaller and more focused, and while Juno often got too coo for skoo with the dialogue cuteness getting all in ya face, Young Adult maintains the smarts but displays a bit more maturity and restraint, and is much better for it.
/drools a stream of trans-fat
I absolutely HATED Bridesmades, but I HATED The Hangover as well. It's pretty unfortunate really because I liked most of the actors in both, just not the plot. I must say I do agree with you about Melissa McCarthy though, she was effing great!! I also like that you use effing. I tend to use it all the time :)
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