"Bridesmaids", bye romantic comedies & weddings

Bridesmaids

Let's vindicate comedies. And the directors, screenwriters, actors, etc, that without missing the focus of making us laugh during 90-120 minutes, are capable of offering something, if not groundbreaking, at least refreshing, different. "Bridesmaids" might not be "high comedy" (whatever that means) but is an amusing comedy. And a big, much needed, kick in the ass to the abominable chick flick genre.

As the very recommendable and recently reviewed "Young Adult", "Bridesmaids" also subverts the archetype of female role, but now within the format of a comedy. Director Paul Feig (with the king of the new American comedy Judd Apatow behind him as producer) is capable of doing that "playing" in the most adverse of territories: the preparation of a wedding. Hard to imagine a more chick flick-bound scenario, but its hilariously used in its own benefit, providing the film the scenes, the munition to construct several unforgettable gags. Sorry lovers of weddings and traditional romantic comedies. This is not for you. We are closer to a female version of "The Hangover".

Still, that wouldn't make of "Bridesmaids" a recommendable film per se. If  you want to create a good comedy, you need an according script and a bunch of actors that can develop it. Which brings me to Kristen Wiig, unknown in Spain but a comic American icon. She's not only the absolute star of this movie, as the troubled, disastrous Annie Walker. She's also credited as co-writer of the script. What an immense work. At the very least, an Oscar nomination was in order (at the very least).

But Wiig is not alone, as all the secondary actresses are also amusing, with a deserved, very special mention to the explosive performance of Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy as Megan, while Rose Byrne is also remarkable as Helen, Annie's nemesis (and the caricature-archetype of the chick flick woman) and Maya Rudolph as Lilian, the bride and Annie's best friend. Male roles are quite marginalised here, being reduced to officer Nathan Rhodes (played by Chris O'Dowd) and Ted (Jon Hamm). Though both roles are nice, ridiculed updates of typical male characters (quite funny to see the Mad Men's star character turned into an evident XXI century asshole).  

The film doesn't have many misfires. Some (few) jokes might cross the line, and I could point an unbalance on its length, that hastens its conclusion to an unnatural extent, killing some secondary parts for the sake of reaching the climax of the film. But this are minor complaints in a film that for almost two hours keeps you laughing, with several scenes to be remembered, with actresses in a state of grace (especially Wiig and McCarthy), enjoying themselves while they dynamite all the romantic comedies clichés. Fun granted.

SCORE: 7,25/10

"The Hangover Part II", wilder, crazier, bigger, bolder...

The Hangover Part II

...But by no means better. Director Todd Phillips and the whole "wolfpack" wanted to repeat the succesful formula of the engaging and fresh first movie, but they do so without really adding anything new (aside from some stunning scenery of Thailand) to the original "The Hangover". But by just repeating it, they loose some part of the charm, and lot of the fun.

The plot is quite simple. Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married in Thailand. So along with Doug (Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Teddy (brother of Stu's fianceé) and, regretfully, Alan (Zach Galifianakis), they enjoy a quiet night previous to awakening in the midst of a catasthropic room remembering nothing. Again.

So, Phil, Stu, and Alan, are back into a run-against-time race, but this time the troubles and adventures of our gang take place in Bangkok, while they try to find Teddy before Stu's weeding. And they more they know about the night, the crazier the situation turns. If you thought the first "Hangover" was wild, you have seen nothing yet.

This hyper-vitaminated and exotic version of "The Hangover", have some hilarious moments (majority of them involving Alan), but they are few compared with its first part. Besides, the movie is never able of escaping from the parameters of its predecesor. Unfortunately, director Todd Philips is not interested in offering anything else except a sequel. But the formula is obviously too stretched towards the middle section of the film, and despite Mr. Chow's bigger role (not really funny as he has a quite short palette of gags) and the apparition of Paul Giamatti, there's not much to offer. Worse, as you are forced to compare, there's not much to laugh about.

Its easy to understand that director, producer and film cast were eager to put a second part on theathers. But although the "The Hangover Part II" is a pleasant and fun ride, now the threat of making a franchise of it (why not? the producers may be asking themselves, Alan is still single, so the premise for a third chapter is easy) is evidently there, and it seriously damages the quality of the final product. Hope they think about it.

SCORE: 5,75/10

"Horrible Bosses", crazy and hilarious dark comedy

Horrible Bosses

Sometimes, chaos and craziness works. And in this particular comedy, it makes the difference. The premise of the "Horrible Bosses" is suggesting and funny. Three regular workers that everyday suffer the actions and attitudes of their monstrous bosses until they decide they had enough and want them dead. What comes next is their hilarious adventures in order to achieve that goal.

This movie works for several reasons. One is its rawness and moments of pure madness, with a refreshing amount of dark jokes and twists. Another one is the fun plot, with an unpredictable and eccentric screenplay, with a slight thriller approach, that allows actor having their moments of glory without losing its dynamic, quick pace. And of course, from the very start, the film doesn't take itself seriously, so there are no "ethic conflicts" or a moral end, just a great entertainment, which is refreshing and results in a film without slumps.

A separate reference has to be made for the cast, the major factor "Horrible Bosses" is so enjoyable. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day (both unknown until yesterday for me), are as funny as surrealistically credible. Day in particular provides, with his whiny voice and his one liners, the most amount of laughs and absurd situations. The same can be said about the "horrible" bosses. Kevin Spacey stands out in his impersonation of the cruel villain that presides the company where Bateman's work, while Jennifer Aniston is surprisingly good at her role of sexy but demented maneater dentist. Colin Farrell is also great in his grotesque role, but I had the impression his character deserved more scenes and is underused, without fulfilling its potential.

Unfortunately, the film has several moments where director Seth Gordon slightly loses the tone, with some raunchy, scatological, profane or just forced scenes. That's probably the risk of the slapstick style the film acquires as it evolves into no-hold-barriers adventure. My feeling is that these scenes are a bit out of place. They are forgettable considering the whole movie, thanks to the aforementioned dynamism and freshness, but they certainly lessen the value or the merits of "Horrible Bosses".

Therefore, if you are looking for a film in the vein of "The Hangover", something to provide plenty of laughs without making you feel stupid. Or if you want to watch a light comedy with a different, sardonic, sense of humour, "Horrible Bosses" is an excellent choice. Won't be in a best-of-the-year list, but is a great entertainment, and let's admit it, a guilty pleasure. Not because of the topic of course, I'm very lucky to say my boss is a saint and a friend.

SCORE: 6,5/10

"Due Date", a comedy with hangover

Due Date
Todd Philips comeback after the "The Hangover" mega-hit was one to look knowing that the starring couple were Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifaniakis. And the actors are the best of the film by far, saving it from being a huge flop. Not saying that you won't laugh. Just seeing the perennial "out of this world" face of Galifianiakis, or the rage explosions of Downey Jr. would guarantee you considerable doses of laughs. But the problem is that you get the fun in a really awkward film (meaning bizarre), with an anarchic script (meaning inconsistent)  that wants to compile the most unbelievable situations (meaning the plot cannot be believed) in order to create the "biggest" road-trip movie (and a return to "The Hangover" territory). But this time doesn't work as a whole. Don't get me wrong, you will find several funny scenes, and the chemistry of the "odd couple" will get you through the film easily. But don't expect "The Hangover 2". Sadly, it's not here.

SCORE: 5,5/10