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Review: Bridesmaids

Most addicts won't attempt to change their lives until they have hit rock-bottom. Well, Annie (Kristen Wiig) is addicted to having a terrible life. Her bakery went out of business, her friend with benefits is a self-proclaimed dick (Jon Hamm) and her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married.

That in itself isn't a bad thing, but Lillian is becoming quite chummy with socialite Helen (Rose Byrne). Annie's grip on the one constant in her life is slipping away thanks to some tart with a membership to the country club. That conflict will have to wait for another day though, Lillian has asked Annie to plan her wedding.

Armed with three of the most "unique" bridesmaids she can handle, Annie assembles a hodge-podge gown fitting and meal. Of course a wedding wouldn't be a wedding without a bachelorette party. The hilarity that ensues from each of the events tops each previous scene with glee. We are presented a vignette of all the bridesmaids (Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon Covey) all of whom are cast perfectly.

Kristen Wiig has been one of the best things going for Saturday Night Live in a long time and her transition to feature comedies will be a breeze. Newcomers Melissa McCarthy and Chris O'Dowd are other actors to look out for in the future. When Annie is onscreen with Rhodes (O'Dowd) and Megan (McCarthy), scenes take on a particular glow. Jon Hamm is seriously hilarious - it will be hard to take Don Draper serious when Mad Men comes back. This cast is tailor-suited for breaking out grins in the audience.

I cannot stress enough how much fun this film is, but like most of Judd Apatow's productions and director Paul Feig's work (creator of the underrated Freaks and Geeks), this is a comedy with a heart. Very few things are a given in life and friendship is usually one of the most turbulent relationships human beings go through. We lose our friends, people drift apart and time moves on, but that place in our hearts is usually never filled.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Bridesmaids has set the bar really high for comedies this summer and it is difficult to see anything topping it. Let's raise a glass in a toast to Bridesmaids, for proving chick flicks don't need to have Katherine Heigl, and that women have always been funny, they just need to right film to do it.

***1/2 out of ****

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