Funny. . . like us

Bridesmaids
Directed by: Paul Feig
Written by: Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo

People who know me well know that I tend to snort when I laugh at something pretty damn funny. When I watched "Bridesmaids", I hadn't experienced the "snort-laugh" while watching a movie in a long time. During the movie's 125 minutes of hilarity, I decided to let the snorts run wild, and boy, did they ever.

My laughter was not just at the infamous food poisoning or drunken air travel scenes, but at the glee I felt that finally a movie being seen by mainstream audiences shows that women can be raunchy, outrageous, and fiercely competitive, but also vulnerable, sentimental, and compassionate.

As in other movies that show more fully-formed portraits of women, this movie places female friendships in the foreground, while romantic relationships take a back seat. However, when the movie does explore a budding relationship between main character Annie (Kristen Wiig) and local cop Nathan (Chris O'Dowd), the relationship is not glossy. It has kinks and awkward moments, and it actually shows the male being the more overzealous and clingy in the relationship, which contrary to popular belief, can actually happen.

Everyone in this movie is good. But I must say that Kristen Wiig has finally stepped out of the shadows of her many weird, troll-like characters on SNL to show herself to be a fully-defined actor. In fact, most of the comic relief in the film comes courtesy of the amazing Melissa McCarthy (of CBS' "Mike & Molly"). Wiig seems more than equipped to carry the emotional weight of this movie on her shoulders.

Speaking of emotions, I cannot fail to mention the wonderfully touching performance of Maya Rudolph who plays bride-to-be Lillian. At the core, the movie is about her life-long friendship with Annie, and they both play the ups and downs of long-term female friendship so well. The scene on the morning of the wedding when Annie finds Lillian sitting alone on the bed in her old apartment is very telling of the fact that no matter how old you are when you get married or move in with a significant other, there will always be a part of you that will miss the autonomy and comfort of the single life. The dialogue these two share while sitting on Lillian's bed should strike a chord with most women.

Everyone should see this movie- men and women alike. I was surprised at the amount of men in the theater. All in all, I'd still call it a "chick-flick", but at least it's a good one. With that said, I give it my four-snorts seal of approval.