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It’s never too late for a film review. Particularly for a film which was not even commercially advertised in the Philippines because, apparently, its trailer received an X rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Accordingly, most Filipinos – including me – have not even realized that it was already shown on July 20, 2011 exclusively at SM Cinemas. I’m talking about the Bridesmaids. Directed by Paul Fieg and produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, and Clayton Townsend, Bridesmaids is an American comedy film starred and written by Kristen Wiig.

Synopsis:
Basically, the story of Bridesmaids revolves around Annie Walker, played by Kristen Wiig, who has recently been through a pathetic phase in her life.Her pastry business didn’t do well, her boyfriend dumped her, and she despises her work in a jewelry store selling engagement rings. The fun begins when her bestfriend Lilian, played by Maya Rudolph, was engaged and she was, obviously, the maid of honor. Unbeknownst to Annie, there are a couple of other maids of honor, whom she met on the engagement party. In particular, Annie found herself in competition with one of the other 4 maids of honor, Helen Harris III, played by Rose Byrne, for Lilian’s friendship. Suffice to say, Annie was battling with her low sense of self-worth. On the side, seamlessly woven, the film also featured Annie’s attempt to satisfy her love life.

Review:
Here’s the deal, I haven’t heard about anyone in the cast until I watched them in this film and written this review so I have nothing to compare them to.  I haven’t even watched the teaser/trailer for this film. I merely stumbled upon this whole film on the Internet one boring weekend.

First off, I must commend the principal cast of this film for having delivered there characters very well. Kisten Wiig, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy (who played Megan, Lilian’s future sister-in-law) and Chris O’Dowd (who played as Officer Nathan Rhodes, a traffic cop, with whom Annie flirted) all gave a remarkable performance. Although the film does not heavily focus on the romantic side, Kristen Wiig and Chris O’Dowd’s chemistry were enough to make the audience smile and laugh. Their scenes together were very good and cute, but not bordering to cheesiness. Kristen Wiig was very convincing in her role and she amazingly managed to be outrageous and sympathetic in whatever the scene requires her to be.

Aside from the laughter and the cuteness, the film also provided heartwarming scenes that would make you wonder and reflect on your life. I personally found myself connected on most of the scenes concerning the friendship between Annie, Lilian, and Helen. The way the matter about jealousy among bestfriends was tackled was brilliant and relatable. There’s so much heart and substance to it that you wouldn’t see on other similar films. There’s this particular scene between Megan and Annie, where Annie is in the middle of a self-pity phase after her “big fight” with her bestfriend Lilian. Megan gave Annie a heartfelt talk lecturing her about how bitchy life could be and that she should not simply let life put her down. As Megan puts it, “you’re your problem and you’re your solution.” What’s so pleasing in this scene is that Megan, amidst her life experiences in the past being bullied about her figure and a lot of people around her not believing in her, was able to put some sense to Annie and uses her life experiences as an example to Annie. I have to say that Melissa succeeded in stealing scenes in this movie.

The creative team behind this film likewise did a good job particularly in the wedding scene towards the end of the film. The setup of the wedding was unique and very classy in my opinion. The bride, the groom, the priest, the maids of honor, and best men were all standing on some sort of platform in the middle of some sort of lagoon. It’s like a huge production number on a musical variety show. The writers, as well, did an amazing job. What I appreciate most in this film is that the writers didn’t resort to inserting unnecessary punchlines in between or after a heartfelt scene just to qualify in the “comedy” category.

This is really a must-see film. I recommend this to everyone of all gender. Although the film features a bunch of women, I assure you that this not a chick flick. In fact, this is one of the best comedy films I’ve watched this year. A real gem and one that should not be missed.

Rating:
9.8 out of 10 stars (I would have given it a perfect ten but the closing scene grossed me out).

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