Movie Review: 'Bridesmaids'

Producer Judd Apatow, also known as The King of Raunch, brings us his first female-driven gut-buster -- but don't think because it's overflowing with women that that changes anything. Just like Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin, we get a movie with no shortage of deliciously crude humor, gross-out gags and shenanigans...but also a surprisingly warm heart to go with it. Kristen Wigg leads the pack as Annie, a down on her luck, single and disheartened woman who pretty much lets the world walk all over her -- that is, until her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) announces her engagement, appointing Annie as her maid of honor. That's when everything Annie has been keeping inside her slowly starts to bubble to the surface -- with hilarious results.

What makes the film work like a charm is Wigg's pitch-perfect portrayal of Annie. SNL star Wigg bounces between being aloof and dry humored to the spazzy nutcase that's always begging to be unleashed from her...two persona's that surprisingly complement each other perfectly (especially in a scene involving a flight to Vegas). Joining Wigg in the bridal party are a colorful group of characters indeed, most notably Melissa McCarthy as Megan, Lilian's future sister-in-law. If there are any lines you're going to leave the theater quoting non-stop, they most likely come from her (think Allen in The Hangover).

Then there's Lilian's new friend, Helen (Rose Byrne). She's posh, beautiful and a perfectionist; she also seems to be pulling out all the stops in order to undermine Annie and become Lilian's new bachlorette party planner and BFF. Every moment may not have you rolling in the aisles, but it's hard not to laugh when you can totally relate to some of the things Annie is going through: the fear of losing a best friend, the difficulty of being middle-aged and single, and the harsh consequences of giving an entire bridal party food poisoning (I kid). But seriously, while watching you won't be able to stop thinking to yourself: why the heck haven't we seen women let loose in the movies like this until now?

Rating: A-