Rated R for some strong sexuality, and language throughout
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper
Director: Paul Feig
Wiig plays Annie Walker, a character so seemingly defeated by life that she has come to relish the idea of not being "rescued" into a state of happiness. After a failed bakery business attempt, she now coasts through life working at a jewelry store, engaging in a sex-rich, joy-depleted affair with a handsome but clueless lout (Jon Hamm), and imparting dirty, funny little details of said romp with her childhood best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph). It's when Lillian announces her engagement does Annie's situation pivot from sad to pitiful. The only thing worse than misery is misery minus the company.
A character like Annie can easily come off as detestable to a viewer, yet Wiig somehow, quite remarkably, makes her engaging enough to hold our interest even as she careens toward a state of social rock bottom. Most movie heroines are genuinely nice people caught up in a whirlwind of external impediments to happiness. While there are certainly a fair share of external forces that contribute to Annie's mounting angst, she is her own worst enemy... a fact pointed out to her by a kind state patrol officer (Chris O'Dowd) who she's very attracted to but cannot bring herself to experience the contentment of a healthy relationship.
The story is awash in a sea of raunchy humor, which the film wastes no time in displaying. The movie opens in the midst of an ornate exhibition of sexual horseplay between Annie and the aforementioned lout, concluding with his unapologetic hint that she exit his abode. ("This is really awkward. I mean, I want you to leave, but I don't know how to say it in a way that doesn't make me sound like a dick.")
From there, she meets up with Lillian to crack wise about the depravity inherent in such a relationship, complete with her own full-bodied imitation of a phallus, eager and ready for action. The frank sexual wordplay between the best friends serves two purposes... one, for obvious comic effect, but it's also a kind of common ground. Annie senses a similar dissatisfaction felt by her best friend, and finding humor in the emotionally unfulfilled brings the two together. That is, until Lillian announces she's getting married. Uh-oh. Bringing any form of romantic idealism into the mix alters the nature of their relationship.
Annie forces a happy face as she meets Lillian's new friends accrued from the upcoming nuptials, most notably the bridal party. An eclectic mix, including a young newlywed (Ellie Kemper) eager to start a family, an old high school friend (Wendi McLendon-Covey) equally eager to lament over the fact that her three boys are of that age and becoming increasingly uncontrollable. ("They're rude, obnoxious, and there's semen everywhere," she bemoans. "Last week I actually cracked a blanket in half.") Also included is the groom's heavy-set yet supremely confident sister (Melissa McCarthy) who possesses a knack for expressing unedited thoughts. And there's Helen (Rose Byrne), Lillian's wealthy, snobbish new confidant and Annie's new archenemy, as she's able to plan the kind of bridal shower Annie herself cannot. (Helen's planning is ridiculously lavish, replete with puppies being given away as party favors.)
The screenplay by Wiig and Annie Mumolo isn't merely a clothesline upon which jokes are hung, but a comic observation of a woman inching closer to the bottom of the social barrel. Wiig must walk a tightrope here... if she's too serious in her portrayal, the movie will lose its comic edge. Yet she can't be too tongue-in-cheek funny either, as that could diminish the viewer's interest in her plight. Even the rowdiest comedies need someone to sympathize with. Under the confident direction of tv veteran Paul Feig ("The Office," "Nurse Jackie"), Wiig masterfully navigates a role much more challenging than it appears.
The film may be a tad too long, and the humor might not be for everyone. (One scene has a character actually defecating on a city street, the gruesome details shielded by the expanse of wedding dress.) But evoking humor and sympathy are two of the more challenging aspects of filmmaking, and a movie that successfully elicits both is a cinematic rarity... one that I appreciate.
* * * out of * * * * stars
