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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 11/27/2011 : 15:54:01
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I did a search for this but nothing matched, so please forgive me if there's a prior thread.
Anyway, caught up with this for BAFTA assessment. Let's just say - Apatow et al could have elevated this from a distaff Hangover to a truly classic comedy if only ...
If only they'd - especially co-writer/star and very funny Kristen Wiig - had realized that the most interesting story is not Annie's but Lillian's. She's Annie's best friend and the bride around whom all the bridesmaid action unfolds in all its delicious vulgarity and somewhat childish but funny slapstick.
Lillian's played by Maya Rudolph, daughter of Minnie Ripperton, and she not only is mixed-race, she plays mixed-race - though we only really get to see her dad, father of the bride, who's reduced to a walk-on.
The setting is contemporary Milwaukee but sadly there is no sense of place - it could be Urban Anywhere USA. Which is a shame because the film leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Such as how do these disparate people know each other? There's an economic sensibility that just doesn't ring true. The manufactured animosities that fuel the comedy fail fall back on gender cliche rather than a far funnier social basis.
Don't get me wrong - I'm delighted to see a gaggle of gals do justice to unleashing their wild child. And it's good to see someone other than a porcelain white co-star. But she really gets very little to do, we don't actually know her at all, let alone can figure out why she'd be best friends with such a reprobate as Annie.
Honestly I didn't give two fucks about Annie who never truly learns how obnoxious she is in every single relationship.
But I did wonder how the dainty society into which Lillian finds herself accidentally immersed - because her nerdy groom's boss is Prince Midas - has come so unquestioningly to terms with a mixed-race marriage. That scenario may sound serious, but trust me, it's a starting gun for a real comedy race.
Instead, they all - and they're terrificly talented - just kick shit off the starting line.
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damalc 
"last watched: Sausage Party"
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Posted - 11/29/2011 : 17:51:50
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I had a blast watching "Bridesmaids."
My biggest complaint is that they killed the funny in some scenes that were amusing but went way too long, like when Kristen drives past the cop over and over trying to get him to come after her, and the scene in the bridal boutique.
OK, it was funny 45 seconds ago. Now it's not.
I thought the scene on the plane was the best part of the movie. Hilarious. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 11/30/2011 : 21:53:19
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I think there was an earlier one too, but still...
I loved it. Gross-out humor for chicks -- who'da thunk it? Maya, and her mom, are well known to all SNL viewers on this side of the pond; Baffy, her lineage is no big reveal over here. I couldn't disagree more with you over Wiig's perf, especially on the plane. And the setting works perfectly for Melissa McCarthy, who's the breakout star of this show.
I went to this movie at the cinema b/c some female friends of my wife had planned to all see it together, then the plan fell through. I said, "Ms. randall, you are going with me today!" I probably guffawed more than she did, tho that's the norm, and I know some jokes flew above my head [or outside my privates] b/c I'm male [Kristen Wiig is my current Celebrity Girlfriend, but I fear I may have to dump her, like I did Tina Fey, as she becomes so rich and famous that she could squash me like a bug], but Vanessa Bayer is looking pretty cool! Baffy, certain girls these days are funny, and that's it! |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 11/30/2011 : 22:14:46
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
I think there was an earlier one too, but still...
Baffy, her lineage is no big reveal over here. I couldn't disagree more with you over Wiig's perf, especially on the plane. And the setting works perfectly for Melissa McCarthy, who's the breakout star of this show.
Baffy, certain girls these days are funny, and that's it!
What ... you disagree that Wiig is wonderfully talented and funny? Which is what I said. Or you disagree that the better narrative would have spotlighted Lillian? Which is why I introduced Rudolph's race - in order to provide at least one example of a potentially richer comic conceit.
I'll take responsiblity for what is apparently my confusing prose - but none of what I wrote addresses the points you were making. I wasn't saying the film or the actors aren't funny, even very funny. My point was that Apatow could have lifted the comic potential far above that dealt with in Hangover. It coulda been a contender, Charlie!
Hey ho!
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 12/01/2011 : 21:42:46
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
quote:
Originally posted by randall
I think there was an earlier one too, but still...
Baffy, her lineage is no big reveal over here. I couldn't disagree more with you over Wiig's perf, especially on the plane. And the setting works perfectly for Melissa McCarthy, who's the breakout star of this show.
Baffy, certain girls these days are funny, and that's it!
What ... you disagree that Wiig is wonderfully talented and funny? Which is what I said. Or you disagree that the better narrative would have spotlighted Lillian? Which is why I introduced Rudolph's race - in order to provide at least one example of a potentially richer comic conceit.
I'll take responsiblity for what is apparently my confusing prose - but none of what I wrote addresses the points you were making. I wasn't saying the film or the actors aren't funny, even very funny. My point was that Apatow could have lifted the comic potential far above that dealt with in Hangover. It coulda been a contender, Charlie!
Hey ho!
Um, you said Wiig was "very funny," but you neglected to add, in this movie, so sorry if I misunderstood. You said there was some "childish but funny" slapstick, faint praise indeed. You ask for a "far funnier social basis" and chide the flick about failing to face mixed-race marriage, "economic sensibility," "manufactured animosities," and that the cast just "kick shit off the starting line."
Forgive me for inferring that you didn't find this picture funny. I now sit corrected. |
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 12/05/2011 : 10:28:27
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There were moments of almost brilliance here that ended up as missed opportunities. What bothered me the most was that they had the chance to bring the humor level to such heights, and opted (literally) for the toilet instead - which, I guess is typical Aptow.
The cop, played by Chris O'Dowd and Melissa McCarthy as Megan practically stole every scene they were in. I especially liked how McCarthy wasn't the sweet, innocent and retiring character (which she did in both "Gilmore Girls" and "Samantha Who?") for this part, although the director should have reigned her in at times here as well.
The best bits besides that were when we saw the relationship between Annie and Lillian, and how they interacted. These were both funny and intelligent, showing that Wiig and Rudolph are a team that could (and should) do something just a bit more intelligent in the future.
But if you want a truly mindless, immature, female, comedy, this is the one to go for. |
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Bridesmaids
