Danielle Solzman
Bridesmaids, the Oscar-nominated comedy classic directed by Paul Feig, marks the tenth anniversary of its theatrical release in 2011.
It’s very hard to believe that it’s been ten years because it feels just like yesterday. The film, written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, has withstood the test of time. Unlike some of the other films produced by Judd Apatow in the early 2000s, Bridesmaids managed to age particularly well.
This film has been around for ten years so I do not feel the need to rehash the plot. We all know what happens in the film and if you don’t, I don’t know what to tell you. I can say this with 100% certainty: both the scenes at the bridal shop and on the airplane are still hysterical ten years later. The moment you see them entering the restaurant, you know the film is just about to get super-hysterical within a matter of minutes! The cast gets every chance to shine but it is Melissa McCarthy delivering the breakout performance. I’ve said this time and time again, Paul Feig is able to get the best direction out of the Oscar nominee.
Regarding the rest of the cast, one thing I like about this film is Rose Byrne. Bridesmaids is one of the first films to display her comedic skills. She’s a solid comedic actress and this is something that filmmakers need to show more and more.
What Mumolo and Wiig did with their script was truly a work of genius. They absolutely deserved their Oscar nomination, too. If it were up to me, they would have won. I’ll get to the Oscars here in a moment. They give us a film that allows funny women to be front and center. Women can do the same thing as men and be just as funny. It should be a one-way street!
Regarding the 84th Academy Awards, the film only earned two nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress. When we look at the Oscars and what films people still talk about ten years later, the lack of a Best Picture nomination is just unforgiveable. It also speaks to the fact of how comedy tends to be ignored by the Academy. This isn’t something new and it’s something we see very often. Even in a world in which there can be five to ten nominations for Best Picture, comedies more often than not get ignored. I’ll be doing a few more tenth anniversary viewings this year but if you ask me, both Bridesmaids and Moneyball are stand-outs. I need to rewatch Hugo to also see if it holds up, too.
Ten years later, Bridesmaids remains a cinematic classic and one of the best comedy movies of all time.
DIRECTOR: Paul Feig
SCREENWRITERS: Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
CAST: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jill Clayburgh, Matt Lucas
