If you haven't seen "Bridesmaids" yet, I'm guessing it's because (with all that pink on the cover) it looks like an icky rom-com for-and-about girls who want to get married. So if you're not one of those, you've probably given it a swerve.
The line up of mis-matched girls wearing identical dresses on the cover suggests this is going to be about a giggly gang of cartoon caricatures but if you literally look a little closer you'll see there's a hint of real attitude in their faces and poses. That's a hint of what's to come.
"Bridesmaids" is a comedy which is actually only a small step away from being a drama. The intense competition between the bridesmaids for the coveted 'best friend of the bride' title is inelegant and desperate but ultimately rooted in an embarrassingly recognisable reality - and that's what makes it so good.
This isn't a battle between beautiful brides-in-waiting for the chance to be the next to shine - this is a dirty and dogged fight between females over friendship, and it's brilliantly done. The cast is universally strong and seems to be made up of natural and actual female comedians of the highest calibre (check out the "Line-O-Rama" bonus material on the DVD if you don't believe me). Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the script, is a revelation and her so-real-it's-funny performance sets the tone for the whole film.
A surprise cameo role for Little Britain's Matt Lucas and an even more surprising leading man role for the IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd adds to the sense that this is a comedy made by comedians who know comedy (watch out for the inspired casting of Matt Lucas' screen sister who steals every scene she's in). It might be hard to imagine a big Hollywood producer spontaneously choosing Chris O'Dowd as the leading man for this film but it's now slightly less hard to imagine them choosing him for their next one.
Arguably, real comedians don't have a great track record when it comes to making film comedy but "Bridesmaids" bucks that trend by cleverly treading the fine line between real life and big laughs. This film might only make you laugh out loud a couple of times, but it'll have you smiling from the (very smutty) start.
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