Frat Boy At the Movies: Bridesmaids
on May 27, 2011 at 12:01 amThanks a lot, Hollywood marketing machine, for again heightening my expectations about one movie, but actually delivering another. Bridesmaids was advertised as a female version of The Hangover, which would’ve been awesome. Instead, it’s a romantic comedy kind of disguised as a female version of The Hangover.
Dammit, I’m so pissed! The cast was there! Wendie McLendon-Covey (Clementine from Reno 911!), Ellie Klemper (Erin from the Office) and Kristen Wiig. Plus some of the supporting cast of Workaholics. Oh, this could’ve been good. Funny.
The basic premise, Kristen Wiig’s best friend is getting married, while Kristen’s life is falling apart, she has to be the Maid of Honor. Parts of the movie are awesome. There’s a fun scene in a bridal shop. Covey and Klemper are spot on in every scene they’re in, but Wiig is in most of the scenes. She carries some of the movie, but the romantic comedy parts just suck. It’s not that they’re bad, it’s who cares? Wiig’s boyfriend is so obviously a douche and Wiig’s potential new boyfriend so obviously a nice guy.
Like the Hangover, the new boyfriend should’ve been relegated to the Heather Graham spot. Look good and don’t say much. And here’s the biggest tease in the whole movie (spoiler alert). They finally decide to go to Las Vegas, just as the movie starts to slump and…
They never get there. WTF?! Besides the fact the reason they never get there is so completely contrived, that’s exactly what this movie needed. Watch the trailer and see how misleading it is:
Now does that sound like they will NOT end up in Vegas? Some of the lines in this trailer didn’t even make the movie. And note how often Covey and Klemper are in the trailer. They have a couple of good scenes, but it’s mostly Wiig and the cop character who falls in love with her. Boring.
Now, in the movie’s defense, I could hear on the other side of the theater, a group of women laughing hysterically. Maybe it strikes a cord with you ladies. The Missus was mostly bored. Perhaps if the trailer had been more honest, my expectations wouldn’t have been so high for hilariousness. (Although then, I probably would’ve skipped it.)
Suck it Hollywood. I give Bridesmaids 4 out of 10 keggers. (You ladies might give it more like a 6.) Bros, you have been warned.
When it became clear that they were not going to make it to Las Vegas, I almost shit myself – in a good way. The last thing this movie needed was a formulaic going-crazy-in-Vegas act. Breaking with convention can be awesome.
I agree that COULD have been the case, but it wasn’t. I think all the momentum went out of the film right after they got on the plane. Where’s the heightening? Why not go crazy in Wyoming where they got off?