NetPix: Bridesmaids

Somehow I missed the party on this movie last summer, probably because I was in the midst of my own play and film's premieres when the film was out in theatres.  Anyway, it recently came up on my Netflix queue and, on a day that I was home sick and not doing much but sitting on the couch, I popped it in and was laughing my ass off from the film's opening minutes.  This movie is not only one of the best studio comedies I have seen in a few years, it is easily one of the best films of last year.  The reason is that not only it is funny but it is also charming and somewhat real (in a Hollywood way, of course) about the characters and their dilemas in the run-up to an over-the-top wedding.

I have to say, I expected this movie to be about being a bridesmaid (thus the title).  And though that situation sets the framework for the film, (spolier alert) the wedding does not happen until the film's final minutes. Up to that point, the movie goes in all sorts of unexpected directions as Kristen Wiig's lovable loser of a character comes to terms with the fact of her best friend's marriage as her own life implodes. The movie strikes the perfect balance between the reality of her sad life and the humor of her situations, especially when it comes to her own romantic situations (which I am not going to spoil here at all!).

Today, Oscar ballots are due out in Hollywood and I can only hope that Academy voters ignore all the hype about THE ARTIST and honor BRIDESMAIDS with a Best Picture nomination.  There has been much talk about how Melissa McCarthy deserves one for her hilarious performance, not to mention Wiig and Paul Feig for writing and directing this film.  But, by far, it is clearly one of the best films of the year and deserves to be recognized as such.