Bridesmaids (2011)

The Kristen-Wiig-spearheaded “Bridesmaids” is at once a female take on all-guy flicks such as “The Hangover” and a goofy yet sharp take on women wondering how they fit into the world, as opposed to the insufferable women who think the world revolves around them as in “Sex and the City 2.” This comedy revolves around Annie (Wiig), a mid-30s single woman with a failed business behind her, a dumpy jewelry store gig, and a crude fuck buddy (Jon Hamm) who doesn’t even appreciate the sex. When she learns her childhood BFF (Maya Rudolph, another “SNL” vet as is Wiig) is engaged, Annie reacts not with happiness, but despair. She fears being alone.

Annie means well, for sure, but her mental id makes hell for the bride’s life, including a literal shit-storm pileup at a high-dollar dress shop and a Las Vegas plane ride to nowhere. The best comedies, as with the best fantasy or sci-fi or romance films, take relatable, real people and put them in outlandish situations, and this is it: Drunk Annie balling at the death of Wilson in “Cast Away” and the sister-in-law bridesmaid (Melissa McCarthy, stealing the movie) not giving a flying F about what people think, and laying it all out for men. McCarthy says of a guy at a party, “I’m going to climb that like a tree.” Make a movie about her.

This is a fun movie, smart, happy to make an ass of its heroine, but never treating her as stupid or in a demeaning way. Nor are any of the women beholden to men, although they long for relationships, so they exist in a world Katherine Heigl fans cannot contemplate. It’s slow to go, and many scenes drag for a beat too long, as does every other Judd Apatow creation. He produced this. Still needs a sharper editor. But what a hilarious film. B+