Plot: What’s it about?
I think one of the reasons that some people hold off on getting married is the sheer preparation involved to get there. Take me, for example. I got married in 2010 and was 100% in favor of going to Las Vegas and getting hitched along with some family. Nope. Didn’t happen. Then again men tend to look at the wedding (note, not marriage, the wedding) a lot differently than women. For some reason I remember an episode of Friends in which Ross is getting married (again) and he mentions to Monica that he’s been planning the wedding for the last couple of months. Monica then replies that “she’s been planning this since she was six.” And that really made an impact on me and showed exactly how different men and women are when it comes to the wedding. And Bridesmaids epitomizes that.
Annie (Kristen Wiig) isn’t doing so well. She sleeps with a man who only wants her for sex, then kicks her out right afterwards. Her bakery has since gone out of business and she hates her job. Her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has just gotten engaged and has chosen Annie as her maid of honor. Annie must now endure the process and Lillian’s eccentric family-to-be and friends, else she’ll go crazy. As we might expect, the rest of the bridesmaids are a colorful group to say the least. There’s Becca (Ellie Kemper), a straight-laced woman who’s sexually frustrated. Megan (Melissa McCarthy), Lillian’s soon to be sister-in-law who’s rough around the edges (and the scene-stealer of the movie) and Helen (Rose Byrne), who constantly competes with Annie for Lillian’s approval. Will this rag tag group of bridesmaids make it to the wedding or will they kill each other first?
First off, I liked Bridesmaids, I laughed out loud on several occasions and will most likely watch the movie again. I feel that Megan McCarthy was the funniest person in the cast and I’m sure we’ll see more of her. Kristen Wiig seemed to do the same routine she does on so many SNL skits and while entertaining, I felt a “been there, done that” to her performance. The movie was described as somewhat of a female version of The Hangover and while I don’t think that’s entirely accurate, I can see where that parallel was drawn. Having now seen both I prefer the former, but I do need to get a woman’s point of view on this one. Suffice it to say that you’ll be entertained, and that’s what it’s really all about.
Video: How does it look?
Though, as of this writing, the film is celebrating its 15th anniversary I still consider it to be more of a “new” film. Arguments aside, this is the first time it’s appeared in 4K and, as such – we need to take a look. The overall color palette is very colorful, with plentiful use of bright, vivid colors and enough outdoor scenery to really set the mood. There are a handful of darker scenes or those that take place indoors, but even those seem to be well lit have a lighter spectrum. Detail is top notch, with even the most intricate things noticeable, you can count the wrinkles in Kristen Wiig’s forehead every time she talks. The transfer is only marred by a few scenes that have a bit of softness to them and one had the tiniest bit of grain, but overall this is a great-looking film and I doubt audiences will have much to complain about here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack has been replaced by a Dolby Atmos mix that ups the ante…but not by much. Then again I wasn’t really expecting big things from this soundtrack, save maybe a few physical gags here and there. Comedies aren’t known for having very dynamic soundtracks and this is no exception. Now by no means does is sound dull or drab, vocals are very strong and consistent (enough so that you can hear Wiig’s mumbling throughout), but nothing really left an indelible impression on me, either. This is about what we’d expect from a day an date release and more than serves its purpose.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There doesn’t appear to be anything new on this 4K offering, but given we had a pretty robust selection of extras to begin with – no big deal.
- Unrated Cut – Six more minutes are included in the uncut version.
- Audio Commentary – Director Paul Feig, Co-Writer Annie Mumolo and Cast Members Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper. As one might imagine, this is a pretty jam-packed track and certain members don’t have a lot to say. But they’re clearly having fun with it – as will you.
- Gag Reel – I’m pretty sure most of the movie could be considered a gag reel, but this one give us some highlights.
- Line-O-Rama – Basically the same as above, only it focuses on individual cast members.
- Made of Honor: Behind the Scenes of Bridesmaids – Running at just a shade over half an hour, this is still a standard “making of…” featurette, but given the robust cast – we get some different POV on things as well as some behind the scenes footage.
- Blind Date – Two segments, each featuring Paul Rudd in some deleted sequences.
- Deleted Scenes – Nine minutes’ worth are included, though some of these made it in the extended cut.
- Extended and Alternate Scenes – Nearly an hour of some extended and alternate scenes. If you wanted to see a raunchier version of Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm going it it – your wait is over.
- Roommates – Three segments are devoted to some rather “interesting” roomates of our star.
- Cholodecki’s – A cheesy commercial at the fictional jewelry store where Annie was employed. We get some extended and deleted scenes as well as some outtakes..
- Drunk-O-Rama – Some of Kristen Wiig’s antics, mainly from the airplane sequence.
- Pep Talk – Stars Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne go at it.
- Annie vs. Helen – Again, essentially the same thing as above. I don’t know why these couldn’t have been combined. Guess they needed another bullet point for the back of the box.
- Hold On – If you’ve ever wanted the iconic Wilson Phillips song from 1990 – here ya go.
The Bottom Line
Like it or not, Bridesmaids is a modern classic. Raunchy and foul-mouthed, this is one that keeps me smiling every time I watch it. Universal’s 4K offering gives us a bit more on the image quality and a Dolby Atmos sound mix. There are no new supplements included, but what we had was fine before. Fans will want to add this one to their collection, for sure.
