Bridesmaids reviewed: Fantastic filthy fun

Another review on top of a review. I just had to do it! The bridal girl flick is back. It has been done a thousand times over. But the good thing is that this movie breaks with the conventional rules of the chick-flick/romantic comedy in such a fantastic way, that, girls, you may also bring your boyfriends or hubbies, I guarantee, they'll love it, too.

If you expect something praised to be "as good as the female version of Hangover",

prepare to be disappointed. It's ten times better! I'm not saying this because I am a girl, and I am not saying it, because I don't care for a good tiger-in-your-bathroom joke, really, who doesn't, 

but all in all, the movie Bridesmaids, in all regards, is just plain better than fun filled gag machine Hangover. We have television-comedy experienced director Paul Feig to thank for that.

The main character is mid 30s Annie (Kristen Wiig, also co-writer), who bears the same name as writer Annie Mumolo. Naturally Annie is not the one getting married, but her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is, and sad Annie slowly falls to pieces in light of the upcoming change. It's not only because of her best friend's marriage, but a sum of other things, going wrong with her own life.

Annie's mean narcissistic not-wannabe jerk of a boyfriend (Jon Hamm). 
Her failed bakery business (which caused her prior boyfriend to leave her).
Her age. 
Her living situation (a hilarious brother-sister "couple" who does gross things, Matt Lucas of Little Britain), to mention just a few. All the more reason to call her a "sad" character. It's insightfully portrayed by Annie getting out of a ticket by mentioning some of the things that happened to her as a casual side note. Her life is so miserable, she doesn't even need to come up with a sob story to arouse officer Rhodes' (Chris O'Dowd) pity. Now, if that's not desolation, I don't know what is!

Annie's best friend really is her last resort to happiness, and now it's all slipping away from her. On top of all that, Helen (Rose Byrne), the wife of Lillian's fiancé's boss is stealing her thunder, stepping in as a wedding planner. It results in a fierce competition over Lillian's friendship. All these things combined really are tragic and not unrealistic elements of drama even more than of comedy, but, what makes the movie great is turning its true colours upside down into an over-the-top meltdown of excessive fun.

The movie tricks you in the beginning, making you think you watch something completely different, more like Sex and the City but then it's tone changes until the comedic elements almost disappear at all.

But at the latest, when future sister-in-law Megan (Melissa McCarthy) makes an entrance, it is completely turned around again. I can't remember the last time a movie made me laugh so hard, the tears just fell down my cheeks in cascades, but every time Melissa McCarthy does something disgusting, after watching Annie lose another little piece of her sanity, it feels like such a relief (literally speaking) and makes you appreciate the honest tone, witty dialogue and altogether (hate the word, but there it is) multicoloured and real characters even more. Great performances by the cast.

Men, take a good look at Annie. That's how we are. And if you can stomach even more, take a good look at Megan (Melissa McCarthy), too. That's how we are when we are not pretending to be girls. Crazy, disgusting, obsessive but through and through loveable. 

 After being drugged by rival Helen, Annie feels much more relaxed...