BRIDESMAIDS
(R and Unrated)
MOVIE: ** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
While everyone was wetting themselves this summer over the comedy “Bridesmaids,” I was shaking my head. Sure, it had some funny moments, but it wasn’t that great. In fact, I kinda hated it. Then I showed it to my wife to get her take. And as if proving we were meant to be to be together, she didn’t like it either. “Bridesmaids” fell into a special category of critically beloved content that neither me nor my wife liked. It’s in good company, you could say, along with “Firefly” and “Serenity” as well as “(500) Days of Summer.”
What I didn’t like about it was the character of Annie (Kristen Wiig) was an awful person. She was a mopey, whiney, feel-sorry-for-myself kind of character who never really grew. Similarly, her friend (Maya Rudolph) was a wretched person as well, letting her father get roped into paying for a wedding far beyond his means. Additionally, the partial improv dialogue became tedious and less funny than if planned out. I know it’s a feminist film that shows that women can fart, burp and shit their pants just as much as men can, and I’m all for bodily function equality. But I just didn’t like the characters… and that is the essence of a film experience.
But then again, most everyone else on the planet loved it, so why take my word for it? Or my wife’s?
The Blu-ray is actually packed with some great bonus content, so even if you’re like me and didn’t enjoy the film, it’s worth checking out, in both rated and unrated forms. There’s a shit-load of deleted scenes, extended scene and alternate takes. There’s also a lengthy gag reel and plenty of line-o-ramas. The Blu-ray and included DVD feature a commentary track along with commercials for Cholodecki’s. The Blu-ray exclusives include “Made of Honor: Behind the Scenes of Bridesmaids,” “Annie vs. Helen,” “Annie’s Blind Date with Dave,” “Tennis Pep Talk” and a bunch of extra footage of Annie’s awful roommates.