Movie Review: Bridesmaids (2011) R

Annie (Kristen Wiig) leads a life that's a mess. Her cake bakery just went under due to a bad economy. She loses her boyfriend and she doesn't have any money. Her best friend, Lillian, (Maya Rudolph) is engaged and Annie realizes how much time the two have lost together.

Lillian sweeps Annie into her world and her new group of friends. This, of course, includes Annie's competition for bridesmaid, Helen (Rose Byrne), who blows Wiig out of the water with her more sophisticated and expensive style. Megan (Melissa McCarthy), who plays the groom's sister, is the one who holds surprises for the audience. She's the "trickster" of the film, never knowing what she may do or so--and she does everything in a hilarious way. It's Megan's "Fight Club" theme for the bachelorette party that sent the audience into a roar of laughter.

Each bridesmaid brings her own comedy to the silver screen in this film. McCarthy is the bridesmaid that brings crude humor to the film, but everyone buys into her comedy. It's hard to resist when she steals the wedding shower gifts, cute puppies with pink bows, to give to Annie. Annie could be considered the star of the show as everything comes back to involving her in some way. After all, it's Annie who became hurt when Lillian requested that Helen replace her as the maid of honor. It's Annie who meets Officer Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd) and let her guard down to let him into her life. And, it's Annie who has to be the bigger person and make up with her best friend just in time for her big celebration.

One of the most memorable parts of this film is when the bridesmaids take Lillian's bachelorette party to Vegas--but Annie has other ideas and they get rerouted. The audience will continue to laugh through the entire film. Where one bridesmaid leaves off her comedy, another one throws in her own style of bridal drama. What they do is unexpected at times, and unlike most romantic comedies, this movie was not predictable. Annie was in a lead role, but with so many bridesmaids, they build on top of each other to make a film that memorable for the entire summer season.

This primarily female-cast, even majority female staff behind-the-scenes, helps drive home the comedy for the audience. Each of the stars have their own troubles, but each scene hits the comedy on the nail. It's a fast-paced romantic comedy that's going to keep the audience happy and laughing throughout the film. The final scene of the movie is the best and brings home how the audience has felt about these bridesmaids from the beginning. The unity and compassionate friendship for one another is there, and it's  on its way to become of this year's best films.