Quick Review: Bridesmaids

I'll make this simple: "Bridesmaids" is the best movie I've seen so far this year. Some have compared it to "The Hangover" but those comparisons aren't very valid. (For one thing, "The Hangover" left me thoroughly not entertained.) There's some R-rated raunch but it's not overwhelming. The story is as much concerned with the inner struggle of Annie (Kristen Wiig, brilliant) as it is with the wild situations the bridesmaids get into. She's middle-aged, in a dead-end sales job after her cake shop went under, in a dead-end relationship with a man who's only in it for the sex (Jon Hamm, hot), living with two strange roommates in an apartment, and now her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is engaged and asks her to be the maid of honor. Annie is trying to put together a bridal shower on a budget while another bridesmaid (Rose Byrne), a newer and wealthier friend of Lillian's, is ready to swoop in to take over the maid of honor's duties, which strains Annie even more. All of this doesn't help when a new, charming, decent guy (Chris O'Dowd, also hot) comes into Annie's life. There are both belly laughs and insightful, sensitive moments, both happy and sad. My grade: A-minus.