Bridesmaids

A female Fight Club. Not only for women, who found previous films from Apatow Productions to be rather phallocentric. The rules are similar, the concept of the game occasionally tends more toward (relatively convincing) soul-searching drama. The casting, however, underwent a radical change. Instead of men who are unwilling to grow up, we see mature women for whom – as is finally seen with the digressions, equivocations and excuses – the “bromantic” friendship of persons of the same sex also has tremendous significance. The screenwriters’ maturity is indicated by their avoidance of the usual plot twists found in films of the same genre. The ladies resolve problems between each other and within themselves, while the men are just an unpleasant (the guy from Mad Men) or sweet (the guy from The IT Crowd) bonus. The protagonist is curiously not the bride (the whole wedding storyline serves as a MacGuffin) or even a woman who is always attractive and blessed exclusively with virtuous qualities. Annie has to defend her position as the best friend of the bride-to-be, who would be the main protagonist in another film. Her flawed and thus authentic nature can be credited both to the screenplay and to Kristen Wiig’s semi-improvised acting. She curses whenever she feels the need, she is not immune to displays of drunkenness, and she makes it known when she’s had enough pretence. Feminists could bitterly assert that it is still ultimately the man who drives and the woman who gets driven (and that Annie gets out of her predicament thanks to a bridesmaid who is similar in gestures, grimaces and liking for Ricky Gervais’s obscenities). Hollywood is apparently not ready for the unadorned truth yet, but this is still progress. If Paul Feig had gotten television out of his system and his film hadn’t disintegrated into a series of variously well-made comedy sketches, sometimes resembling gross-out comedy, sometimes an intelligent conversational film, and if he hadn’t been afraid to remove some joke that were funny but unnecessary for the narrative, I would now be writing about the best American comedy since Knocked Up. 75% (07/09/2011)

A very vulgar film with female leads that in real life would be insufferable, but, as it’s usual with Apatow, the humour is effective and the emotions are genuine. Something that Czech comedies for the common folk can only dream about. (09/09/2011)

Fair and incorrect humor involving a newly formed group of friends, who aren’t actually such great friends in reality. Fair in the sense that somebody finally showed us that not only men have their days, but that this afflicts women as well and when the star consellations align in the ideal manner, they can surprise you with a number of situations which they certainly don’t need to feel ashamed of. Fine by me. I took me a while to get used to them girls, but Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne eventually convinced me that Bridesmaids is a well-made politically incorrect comedy. (06/06/2017)

An average comedy about above-average swashbuckling women. The first hour really wasn't that great, but the second part of the film and a few really excellent scenes (the one on the plane and Annie breaking the law in the car) saved the film overall. The fault, however, I see in the uninteresting script and the cast. I would have completely cut the sentimental scenes involving Annie's pie shop and the initial toast to the bride. (07/07/2011)

I am going to award this movie two stars because the story is not entirely bad. Also, it is quite interesting in places, although I was not too fond of the rest of it. The last time I saw a bunch of such horrible women was probably in Sex and the City, and their "rampage" and interactions were quite distasteful to me. Plus, I have nothing against poo jokes. However, seeing Melissa McCarthy pooping in the sink next to another idiot throwing up on another girl's head was not funny. It was, in fact, rather scary and slightly embarrassing, which from a person who had a good time watching Kevin & Perry Go Large probably sounds pretty weird, but what can you do? (03/07/2015)

I watched Bridesmaids mainly because I was surprised by Melissa McCarthy's Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (and the screenplay nomination as well). This certainly doesn't happen with American comedies these days, so I thought it must be something special. And the result?! Well, the R rating is indeed appropriate here, because if a smaller child had seen some of the scenes, they might not have recovered. I don't mind strong language in films, so I had no problem with the content of the script, but I don't think it's worthy of an Oscar (or even a nomination). Neither is Melissa McCarthy, her character works great, and she amused (and disgusted) me the most out of the entire ensemble, but it's just not anything particularly above average. All in all, a solid American comedy and a bunch of desperate women planning a wedding, which doesn't come without some of the slightest disaster. (01/27/2012)

An excellent comedy with a sharp humour and a great bunch of characters, which is only brought down by its exorbitant 120-minute running time and the fact that while the first half is a loaded ride with some pretty iconic and extremely funny scenes, the second half takes the foot off the throttle a bit and rides more on the dramatic wave. Despite this, I still feel that I probably haven't seen a better comedy in years, I had a great time with this type of humour and as for the actresses, you couldn't find a funnier bunch of birds either. Great stuff! (03/14/2024)

My favorite Kristen Wiig wasn’t enough for me to ignore the film’s shortcomings. I could easily have done without the sight of Rebel Wilson’s rolled-up t-shirt and a dress fitting with a fecal ending. The plot was incredibly predictable, and I never really understood the wedding frenzy. The film also had a few bright moments, though. (12/29/2017)

This title can be discouraging for a guy, especially the Czech title, but even the male generation should not be discouraged. Besides seeing how women can be bitches, what wars they can lead, how crazy they can be, we also watch a good comedy that may not keep you on the edge of your seat every minute, but you will have a good time with it. Because unlike many other works, it does not lack a strong story. This is something it has in common with the movie "Kopačky". "Women Only" is actually about how one of the six friends is getting married. But it's not really about that so much. What got me is the fact that it's mainly about people, their stories, and that even this unique event can be a catalyst for hatred. Annie has the main role in this, and she definitely is not a positive character, but you may even hate her. Annie is simply crazy and she is the one who ruins everything. But in the end, friendship fixes everything. I know it sounds pathetic, but it is presented tastefully in the movie. I also like the film because Chris O'Dowd, aka Roy from "The IT Crowd," appears in it. Melissa McCarthy also draws a lot of attention and she is a revelation. She is vulgar, disgusting, bold, and great. Deserving of an Oscar nomination. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/diar-milovnika-filmu-c-0002-zajimave.html (02/14/2013)