Judd Apatow, best known for his work with Superbad, Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, produced the comedy. Kristen Wiig who also stars and Annie Mumolo served as the movie's writers.
The film received much critical acclaim after its release and became a major box office success. Not only did it gross more than all of Apatow's other films, but it also proved to be the most successful R-rated comedy featuring female leading roles of all time.
The movie follows the travails of five women who are thrown together to be bridesmaids for their friend Lillian. Annie (Wiig) is an unwillingly single woman who has recently moved back in with her mother after her bakery went bankrupt; Helen (Rose Byrne) is a beautiful, spoiled housewife who seems to know everything there is to know about planning weddings; Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is cynical and, more than anything else, very tired after mothering three rambunctious boys. Becca (Ellie Kemper from "The Office") is a doe-eyed goody-two-shoes with frustratingly good morals. Finally, Megan, played by Melissa McCarthy has untraditional and decidedly unfeminine mannerisms.
Lillian first chooses Annie as her maid of honor, but Helen continually tries to intercede and throw a "better" (read: more expensive) party. Annie and Helen run into conflict as Helen constantly tries to one-up Annie's efforts, whether it is finding the perfect (yet unaffordable) bridesmaid dress, buying Lillian tickets to Paris when Annie makes her a more thoughtful gift, or throwing a bridal shower with puppies as party favors. Eventually, Helen replaces Annie as Lillian's maid of honor, much to Annie's chagrin.
Quite predictably, the film also features a tall, dark-haired man in uniform (Officer Nathan Rhodes, played by a charming Chris O' Dowd)who eventually falls in love with Annie. While their relationship is imperfect (after a fight, she bakes him a cake and he leaves it to be eaten by raccoons!), he eventually shows Annie that she can find real love. His sexy, though indistinct, accent is an additional bonus. He also serves as a hilarious foil to the man with whom Annie is first seen. Unlike this first "suitor," Nathan thinks about Annie instead of just himself, and he even makes her breakfast when they wake up in the morning.
Even though there are many laughs as the bridesmaids try to navigate their relationships with men and with each other, the film provides more than just amusement. Many women can relate to Annie's insecurities about being single and jobless in her thirties while her friends snatch up boyfriends, husbands and paychecks. By raising questions about how to be a woman with your own business while still navigating the modern dating world, the film goes beyond typical "chick-flick" fare. While finding a man to love is somewhat integral to the plot, the women's plot lines are more complex than they are in most female-centered films.
It is also important that many women can see a piece of themselves in each character: they may be high-strung like Helen, rowdy like Megan, bitter like Rita, lonely like Annie or a little bit naive like Becca. Nonetheless, even though each woman exhibits negative traits, each redeems herself by ultimately demonstrating warmth and compassion. Annie is even able to reconcile with the she-devil Helen.
More than anything, however, the film is unique because it demonstrates that women, like men, can play a part in raunchy humor. Most R-rated comedies are directed towards male audiences, with humor that is meant to resonate most deeply with men. Even if films are directed towards a gender-neutral audience, very rarely are all of the leads female.
Bridesmaids, on the other hand, was written by women for women. Its success demonstrates that women are just as funny as men and that actors and writers do not need to be male to be funny. Moreover, female humor can be outrageous and gross you out, just like "male" humor. The film thereby discounts many myths men are not funnier than women and, not only do girls poop, but they also have diarrhea (in bridal shops) and can laugh about it.
In the end, Bridesmaids emerges as a winner on many counts. It is funny, compassionate and even feminist-friendly.
