Bridesmaids (2011)

It's no secret. I'm a big...scratch that, HUGE, fan of 1999-2000 short lived television series Freaks and Geeks. There were two forces behind that show. The main force, and the one who doesn't seem to get as much credit for it outside of the solid fans of the show, is Paul Feig. The second force, and the man who gets all the credit for it, is Judd Apatow. I'm a fan of Apatow's brand of comedy. I think it's the Caddyshack/Animal House/Stripes/Ghostbusters of our generation. I know it has been overexposed for a while, but that's the age we live in. And I think looking back, it will be looked at as a golden age of comedy. And in Bridesmaids, it continues, and it's the first time that I can recall that truly brings the combo that brought us Freaks and Geeks back to the main creative line-up.

That's not to say it's as good as Freaks and Geeks. It's also not to say that there isn't another HUGE comedy force on the creative side. It is co-written by Kristen Wiig, another comedic talent that many feel is over exposed. I like Wiig. I like her a lot. But there are certain characters she does on SNL that I can't stand. In Bridesmaids, she is much more where I like her. A semi-serious but still hilarious character that can drive a movie. Her fingerprints are all over it, especially if you're familiar with her SNL characteristics. The scene where she and Rose Byrne try to endlessly one up their toast to Maya Rudolph is a perfect example of her style of humor.

I think the key to this movie is that the makers went after what has to be the best female comedic talent out there right now. The only people missing are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Just about any other lady that is considered funny at the moment is in this movie. Melissa McCarthy is particularly amusing and getting high praise as Rudolph's husband-t0-be's sister.

The movie does follow the late 90s/2000s trend of featuring at least one gross-out scene. I'll say that I pretty much hated a good portion of that scene, not because it was gross but because bathroom humor never really does it for me. It does, however, allow for one of the funnier lines later on, so I guess I can forgive it. And what do I know, some people love that scene and think it's the best in the movie.

It's not just wall-to-wall comedy. Much like other Apatow related work since 2005, there is a strong character story in here as well, one that allows from some actual drama and character growth. Or at least as much drama that can be allowed in a comedy. The other thing that makes Bridesmaids stand out from the rest is that up until now, almost all of Apatow's stuff as been male oriented. Even Knocked Up was more about how Seth Rogen's character dealt with getting a girl pregnant than Katherine Hiegel being impregnated. But here is an entirely Apatow style comedy entirely based on women. And this time the male characters that DO show up are extreme male stereotype characters, like the extremely douchey Jon Hamm or the extremely likable Chris O'Dowd. It's definitely female driven, and it's not shock that it was a big hit. Women like this style of comedy too, you know.

RATING: 3/5