Bridesmaids

BRIDESMAIDS (2011) - May 21, 2011
A disappointing comedy about a thirty-something woman who starts reevaluating the state of her life after her best friend gets engaged; also, shenanigans ensue with the wacky bridal party.  Part of the problem here is that the tone varies prettty wildly -- there's the low-key character stuff with Kristen Wiig, including a romance with a cop, and then there's the over-the-top wacky stuff with the bridesmaids.  It kind of feels like two different movies.  It's also really blandly directed by Paul Feig, who has directed a lot of funny TV shows, but whose style is obviously better suited to the small screen.  Then there's the fact that a few of the eponymous bridesmaids are completely superfluous, with zero character development other than "the horny one" or "the naive one."  The film runs over two hours, which is insanely overlong; many scenes drag on far longer than they should (such as a scene on an airplane that feels like it's at least 20 minutes long, and which was interminable), and many simply feel like they have no business being anywhere other than the cutting room floor.  It's too bad, because there is a lot to like here, including a good lead performance from Kristen Wiig and a couple of solid laughs, but the film is just too muddled and overlong. **