Review: Bridesmaids Blu-ray

STUDIO: Universal | DIRECTOR: Paul Feig | CAST: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm
RELEASE DATE: 9/20/2011 | PRICE: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.98
BONUSES: unrated version, deleted scenes, gag reel, featurettes, commentary, digital copy
SPECS: R/NR | 125 min./131 min. | Comedy | 2.40:1 aspect ratio | 5.1 DTS-HD audio | English, Spanish, French subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

Kristen Wiig (Paul) brushed off her writing skills for Bridesmaids, which was co-written by Annie Mumolo, who met Wiig in the comedy troupe The Groundlings. Unfortunately, their sketch comedy background comes through too much. Despite some very funny moments, most of movie’s jokes suffer from Saturday Night Live-itis in that they’re drawn out too far and lose their comedy.

The film centers around Wiig’s character, who’s going through a personal crisis while the life of her best friend Lillian (fellow former SNL-er Maya Rudolph, Grown-Ups) is taking off. After getting engaged, Lillian asks Wiig’s Annie to be her maid of honor. While she’s trying to perform her duties, Annie must battle Lillian’s new seemingly perfect friend Helen (Byrne, Get Him to the Greek), loses her job, is dumped by her booty call (Hamm, TV’s Mad Men), and is forced to move back in with her mother. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as a bad brake light allows Annie to meet a new love interest, Officer Nathan Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd, Gulliver’s Travels).

The drama of Annie’s downward spiral is more uncomfortable than funny at times. But there are laughs, mostly the slapstick kind, and Wiig’s fans will find a lot to like in Bridesmaids. The Blu-ray includes an unrated version that has six more minutes.

The laughs continue in the special features, which suggest that the majority of the film was ad-libbed. The Line-O-Rama sections feature Terry Crews (TV’s Are We There Yet?), Wendi McLendon-Covey (TV’s Rules of Engagement) and others spouting multiple versions of funny lines. And, the disc has ad-lipped parts with Annie’s roommates, Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson; on the tennis court; and more.

We see even more improving in the behind-the-scenes footage incorporated in the “Made of Honor” making-of featurette.

There are also a bunch of deleted and extended scenes, and Paul Rudd stars in his own set of deleted scenes when he goes on a blind date with Wiig’s Annie.

The funniest part is perhaps the gag reel, which includes Wiig and Rudolph singing.

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