"Bridesmaids" review

It's time once again for Judd Apatow's annual summer offering. Ever since 2004, when his first major production, the Will Ferrel comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy became a sleeper hit, Apatow has helmed decent-sized blockbusters such as Knocked Up but has had misfires such as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In a change of pace, Judd Apatow has decided to make a film for the female demographic resulting in Bridesmaids. Typical fans of Apatow fare may be turned off by the majority of the main cast being female and may think it's a departure from the typical comedy style we've become accustomed to with these comedies.

Thankfully, the screenplay written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig is mostly gender-neutral. While it's not perfect, it has enough comedy and entertainment value to make it a fitting entry to Apatow's filmography of R-rated comedies.

For those who do not know the plot, to summarize the main story briefly: a woman named Annie (played by Kristen Wiig of Saturday Night Live) is named a maid of honor when her lifelong best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph, also of Saturday Night Live) gets engaged. Despite having her life progressively getting worse the more she tries to help Lillian have the ultimate pre-wedding rituals, she still tries and tries to make things better.

It may remind you of 2009's The Hangover. But there is nothing too similar between the two films beyond them leading up to a wedding. As a lead character, Kristen Wiig gives her all in her first starring role and makes Annie a likeable character. Wiig's performance combines sincerity with silly quips that makes her an acceptable lead. Of the main bridesmaids, it's Melissa McCarthy as Megan who steals every scene she's in. Universal describes her as a "Fight Club-loving/puppy-stealing/wild card" and is Lillian's soon-to-be sister-in-law. She will remind of Zach Galifianakis as Alan Garner from The Hangover - but actually stable. Not much else I can say about her. Of the side players, I wish we could have seen more of Rebel Wilson and Matt Lucas as Brynn and Gil, Annie's brother-and-sister deadpan roommates. They have to be seen to believed. Also, Chris O'Dowd as Officer Nathan Rhodes is a beyond-likable guy. I hope O'Dowd does a lot more in the next few years because he has a great ordinary guy facade.

As most Apatow films recently have had problems with, Bridesmaids has some severe pacing problems. Running a tad long at 125 minutes, it's not as much of a turn-off as it was with Funny People, some scenes do run too long for their own good. One scene in particular involving the bridesmaids getting food poisoning while trying on dresses goes on way too long. While it's the only time it decides to go for gross-out humor, it stretches it out for all it's worth. While no scene gets that bad with length, some scenes tend to get a little tedious and you want the movie to move on. I can't pinpoint any specifics but you'll notice it.

Overall, Bridesmaids will not go down as one of 2011's best but if you are in the mood for a comedy this summer, Bridesmaids is a pleasant diversion. You don't have to be embarrassed to see a movie revolving around a wedding.