Bridesmaids

June 5, 2011 - Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig co-wrote and stars in this very funny comedy with a heart. Fellow SNL alum Maya Rudolph also stars, along with Rose Byrne, Chris O'Dowd and Jill Clayburgh. Melissa McCarthy steals the movie as another member of the bridal party.

Wiig plays Annie, a pastry chef whose business went belly-up. Now, she works at a jewelry store to help pay the rent. About the same time that she gets fired and gets booted out by her roommates, her best friend, Lillian (Rudolph), announces that she's engaged and wants Annie to be her maid of honor. The bridal party also includes Helen (Byrne), the wife of Lillian's fiancé's boss, and Megan (McCarthy), Lillian's soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Despite her own problems, Annie tries to plan activities that she thinks will please Lillian. But, at every turn, she's one-upped by Helen. Eventually, Annie gets so frustrated and upset, that she refuses to even go to the wedding. A friendly state patrol officer (O'Dowd) offers a shoulder to cry on.

Overall review: *** This movie succeeds where so many of the comedy movies featuring SNL cast members fail. It's an entire movie that's consistently funny; not just a sketch drawn out to the point of tedium and ridiculousness. At the center of Bridesmaids are two women with a full lives and a strong bond. Annie, especially, is much more than a caricature, and her relationship with Lillian is what makes this movie so strong.