Bridesmaids

When outrageous comedy Bridesmaids reaches the inevitable big day promised by the title, a shot of the wedding party quickly reminds us that we barely know a thing about the groom and we haven't even met the groomsmen. That's because Bridesmaids takes its title seriously and sets out to invigorate a genre often stuffed with men by filling the screen with almost nothing but very funny women. The guys are set dressing here, because this movie is all about co-writer/star Kristen Wiig and her delightfully entertaining partners in bridal mayhem.

Better known for her small screen work on Saturday Night Live and often relegated to supporting roles in her few big-screen appearances, Wiig proves to be more than capable of carrying a movie when given the opportunity to shine in a central role (considering she co-wrote the movie with Annie Mumolo, one could argue that Wiig actually takes the opportunity). She plays protagonist Annie with an innocent vulgarity that is hilariously refreshing and lovably honest.

Annie's life is practically in shambles (her bakery business recently failed, her roommates are irritating, and her status as a single woman is now leading to self-doubt), but her problems are fully accentuated when her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph, another SNL alum) announces that she is engaged. Even though it's a reason to rejoice for Lillian, this turn of events automatically registers as a reason to hit the panic button for Annie. Now that her best friend is getting hitched, Annie fears impending loneliness and less time with her pal.

Things only get worse when Annie meets bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne), who appears to be on the verge of usurping Annie's role as Lillian's best friend. Helen is the very antithesis of Annie and her prim, proper ways are viewed as instant threats by our hapless heroine. But since Annie is the Maid of Honor, she is in a position to make various wedding planning-related decisions, a responsibility that she routinely screws up, only to have Helen swoop in and save the day.

It's a great comedic setup, because it pushes Annie to the brink of her sanity. Even her mom (played with gentle sincerity by the late Jill Clayburgh) is convinced that Annie has hit rock bottom, from which things can only go up. But before they do, things have to get pretty rough for Annie, whose downward spiral would be quite ugly if it weren't so entirely endearing. When you look at Annie's actions on paper, they all seems to point to a very unlikable character. But as played by the eminently watchable Wiig, Annie is a woman whose potential happiness is easy to root for.

Ridiculously funny throughout, Wiig never allows Annie to drown in her self-pity, instead managing to keep the character's frustration and sadness afloat in playfully comedic territory that doesn't feel false or forced. Bridesmaids is really about Annie's journey and Wiig makes her hefty amount of screen time count. The movie is at its best when Wiig is allowed to explore supreme silliness with an attitude and ability that is all her own. The movie belongs to her, but she isn't alone in extracting raucous laughs from the basic concept.

Melissa McCarthy is a riot as Lillian's future sister-in-law and she has little trouble stealing a few scenes. Her characters is a wacky one and she proves adept at providing laughs with a careful consistency. Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey round out the Bridesmaids fivesome and they each have their own quirks to toy with (Kemper's newlywed character is gleefully gullible, while McLendon-Covey plays a mother at war with her children). It's a great group with a lot of chemistry and director Paul Feig does an excellent job of juggling the whole cast and giving all the major players enough room to develop their characters.

With barely a man in sight, Bridesmaids is a fun and satisfying showcase of some very talented women cracking some inspired jokes. Even a descent into scatological territory (a place I usually despise) is quite funny in its juxtaposition of glamour and gross-out gags. The movie wraps things up tidily in the end and perhaps the final five minutes don't accomplish much more than the aforementioned reminder that men are almost entirely absent here, but Bridesmaids remains an extremely funny movie that is given a special boost by Wiig's presence on both page and screen. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride? Doesn't matter, really, as long as Wiig is there to make us laugh.