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Wide Screen: Bridesmaids

July 25th, 2011
melissa mccarthy  by mo pie
melissa mccarthy , a photo by mo pie on Flickr.

Character: Megan, played by Melissa McCarthy

Credits: Before Bridesmaids, probably best known for Gilmore Girls and Mike & Molly, though she started off in the Groundlings. As far as her reputation among comics goes, this interview is worth reading.

Plot points: Megan is one of the eponymous bridesmaids in this female-centric, Kristin Wiig-centric comedy. At first you might think she’s the obligatory token fat bridesmaid that is going to be the butt of a lot of fat jokes, but she is really an astonishing character who basically steals the movie. (Or she would, if Kristin Wiig weren’t also so good in it.)

Stereotypes: The trailer had me worried. She’s the one most excited about the food at the Brazilian restaurant, and the first one to have gastrointestinal distress (though it eventually strikes everyone, her “I’m not confident which end that came out of” line is the one in the trailer). But ultimately, the character defies stereotypes: she’s smart, she’s independent, she’s rich, she’s brave, and she’s sensible. She is the character who (literally and figuratively) knocks some sense into our mopey heroine, Kristin Wiig, in one of the movie’s best scenes. She is honestly a joy to watch.

Sex/Romance/Attractiveness: In the sequence on the plane, she’s shown aggressively hitting on her seatmate (played by her real-life husband) and this sexual aggressiveness is played for laughs. There’s also a joke in which sex involves a sandwich, although by the time this joke comes up, my sense is that the audience is totally on Team Megan, and you’re laughing with her, not at her.

Fat jokes: There are a few (like “I naturally just don’t bloat” at the restaurant, which is meant to be ironic). Again, the reason I found them forgivable is because fat is not the be-all and end-all of this character, and most of the jokes involving her (and there are a lot) don’t involve fat at all. (My favorite one is probably her driving past Annie after the bridal shower, which I won’t spoil.) Admittedly it’s been a while since I saw the movie, so if I’m forgetting anything, hit me up in the comments.

The bottom line: McCarthy is basically playing the Zach Galafinakis part in this movie, and she does it brilliantly. There are a few jokes involving size or food, but Megan never, ever feels like a generic “fat girl” character. She feels like a real comedic creation. In that same interview, Rose Byrne says, “Melissa is nothing at all like Megan. That’s not hiring someone to do what they do; that’s a real performance. Melissa’s beautiful and feminine, but Megan’s tone—it’s almost like she’s a coach. There’s no doubt in her voice. For me a lot of the comedy comes from the tension between the wildness of her ideas and the way she would say them with such authority and confidence and speed.”

Rating on the offense-o-meter (10 being Norbit): 2

But how’s the movie?: You can probably already tell that I enjoyed it. In fact, I laughed so hard my water broke! (Okay, that’s probably not true, but my water did break in the parking lot right after we saw the movie. I was really glad we’d made it all the way through; it would have sucked to miss it.) Really hilarious, and a terrific rejoinder to the “women aren’t funny” trope. I can’t wait to see Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids 2. And congratulations to her on her Emmy nomination! Now that I know what McCarthy can do, I almost want to watch Mike & Molly.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Celebrities, Humor, Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly, Movies, TV, Wide Screen

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10 Responses to Wide Screen: Bridesmaids

  1. Sarah, on July 25th, 2011 at 2:32 pm Said:

    Agree with everything you said. The only thing about Melissa in Bridesmaids I took issue with was the sexual aggression being played for laughs. But the character was so weird, I would have laughed hysterically at that scene even if it were played by a non-fat actress, like say Rachel Dratch or Amy Poehler. So I totally gave it a pass.

    Actually the only offensive thing is how she was photoshopped to death in that poster. Melissa is gorgeous as is, they made her appear MUCH thinner in that poster though.

    • Weetabix, on July 25th, 2011 at 3:17 pm Said:

      Thank you, Sarah! I was just coming to the comments to say exactly the same thing! They had to have ‘shopped out a couple of ribs at least.

    • mo pie, on July 25th, 2011 at 3:35 pm Said:

      This is how you can tell I’m sleep deprived and off my game. I was like “man, she looks weird in that picture… is it because she’s wearing a dress?” But of course, she’s Photoshopped to hell!

  2. Ellen, on July 25th, 2011 at 2:44 pm Said:

    What I liked about Megan the most was that she seemed to be the only one of the women who was truly happy with her life. Wasn’t always, but was then. When she goes to prop Annie up, she doesn’t say “Just be happy that you’re SKINNY! and you have a BOYFRIEND!” Instead she tells her “I am awesome, and you are awesome too.”

  3. Alice, on July 25th, 2011 at 4:26 pm Said:

    OK, you’ve convinced me. I held off on seeing this because the previews (and a review or two) portrayed her as the butt of the jokes, rather than at their helm. I don’t need her to be free from ridicule, but I couldn’t take the thought of going in there filled with Women-Are-Hilarious righteousness and getting a bunch of fat shame for my trouble. Thanks for the review!

  4. Jenn, on July 25th, 2011 at 8:18 pm Said:

    I have loved Melissa since Gilmore Girls. She is brilliant on her delivery and timing. I liked Bridesmaids because of her. The jokes were sometimes over the top. It was a total man movie made with females, which I loved, but Melissa truly shined. So glad to see her getting the props she deserves. :)

  5. The Well-Rounded Mama, on July 26th, 2011 at 2:54 pm Said:

    Yeah, that picture certainly does look photo-shopped. Bleah.

    Okay, you’ve convinced me to see this movie. It may have to wait till it’s on cable, but I’ll give it a look. I was totally not going to see it before now, but I’ve heard too many raves about it now.

  6. Elise, on July 27th, 2011 at 12:51 pm Said:

    I’m not much on movies, so I’ll probably give it a miss. I really have enjoyed Mike and Molly. I didn’t recognize that it was the same actress from the photo.

  7. Nona, on August 5th, 2011 at 12:55 pm Said:

    A friend of mine said I really need to watch this movie. Its nice to know that they fat-jokes won’t be bad enough to make me want to abandon it mid-film.

  8. Jaci, on August 24th, 2011 at 4:13 am Said:

    Great review. I also really enjoyed the role she played in this movie – I haven’t laughed so much in ages! I also agree with the favourite scene, that still makes me smile! I was wary of seeing this movie because I find Mike & Mollie really offensive, but this was brilliant! I loved Melissa in Gilmore Girls and was really disappointed when I saw the Mike & Mollie series, it just seems to be an endless ream of fat jokes.

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