SXSW Is Raving About 'Bridesmaids'
Bridesmaids, Kristin Wiig's comedic collaboration with Judd Apatow and director Paul Fieg, was revealed at Austin's SXSW film festival last night. The movie, which is set to open on May 13, is promoted as the hilarious and realistic opposite of every other wedding-themed chick flick. While most of today's reviews are filled with praise, particularly for Wiig, there were a few audience members at the midnight showing who were less than impressed.
"All Hail Wiig" Movie Line's Jen Yamato celebrates Kristin Wiig's first starring role and declares: "Bridesmaids isn't just the smart and grounded antidote to the shrill chick flicks we all hate; it's the most raunchy, sweet and wonderfully vulgar R-rated comedy in recent memory. Bring it, Hangover 2."
"Bridesmaids is a homerun," writes Slash Film blogger Peter Sciretta. "Confident, a mix of laugh-out-loud funny, smart, raunchy and heartbreaking. Hopefully it will become a box office hit and inspire Hollywood to expand their classification of what a 'chick flick' can be and strive for something more."
"The girls are the stars here" Entertainment Weekly's Inside Movie's blogger Karen Valby "feared [Bridesmaids] might be a by-the-numbers female spin on The Hangover. But the movie felt fresh and funny, with the right blend of sweet and wicked." Valby praises the honest story line, the strong female cast, and the vulgarity, giving a "shout-out to the poop-your-pants scene, which made me laugh even harder than the ones from Two Weeks Notice and Sex & The City. And that's saying something."
"A sincerity to the sadness," according to Drew McWeeny, is what makes this funny film unique. "I think the entire thing manages to feel very personal while still possessing a big immediate commercial appeal," he explains at Hit Fix. "It's great, adult writing, and it's very observant about what it's like to be the very last one to get married, the last one to be grown up, the one who is failing while others succeed."
"A sluggish, charmless misfire."Joe Leydon, on the other hand, doesn't have such a positive take on the film. The Variety writer thinks Bridesmaids "sorely lacks the saving grace of being consistently funny" and predicts that "this overlong and underwhelming trifle might generate respectable opening weekend theatrical biz for Universal, but only if trailers and TV spots can make it look like an exuberantly raunchy laugh riot."
"I wasn’t into it," admits Fred Topel at Screen Junkies. Topel's biggest problem with the movie is that "jealousy is not funny," but his disappointment is really directed at Wiig. "I like Kristin Wiig a lot. I think her physicality is phenomenal and her attitude is sweet," he explains. "She doesn't seem to make jokes at anyone's expense. She just enjoys being silly. Bridesmaids doesn't feel like her, and she wrote it herself!"
