Our daughter, who abounds in wit and good taste for movies, suggested we see this cute chick flick. She was right! The film is frothy, sassy, daring, and at moments, gross....got your interest?
Can't say too much without doing what today's trailers do (give away everything!). Basically, two best friends, who have known each other since grade school, share everything about their personal lives...including the details of some of their amorous adventures. Great portrait of female best-buds who thrive on the closeness of their bond.
Enter a monster known as marriage! Soon, everything changes!
That's the setting. The fun is in the characterizations. Both of the friends are highly bright and neurotic, and they do not hesitate to speak the truth!
Acting: Great. Interestingly, the actors are little known compared to big names. Kristen Wiig, who is wonderful as the pissed-off blond, played some parts in Saturday Night Live. Her biggest claim to fame was being Gwyneth Paltrow's best friend as a kid (perhaps the kernel for the plot?). Maya Rudolph's best work was Away We Go, a tongue-in-cheek comedy about newyweds getting settled.
The rub: Comedy and tragedy are often two sides of the same coin. In this film, I found the main character more pathetic than funny. After all, the poor thing struggles to find a decent guy and undergoes many heartaches. My spouse found more pathos than humor throughout, so a female voice corroborates my opinion.
Grade of A. Top notch film work. Entertaining. Educational. Sad.
Saw this when it first came up. (Confession: I don't blog on each film I see.) This film is such fun, and I am glad I'm hearing that a guy liked it.(I saw it alone.) This is accurately dubbed the female version of The Hangover - also hilarious. I'm sure I'll see the flick over and over. I'm a HUGE fan of the brilliant Kristen Wiig. I'm partial to her Suze Orman, but that gal will do anything! But Melissa McCarthy (newborn Emmy winner!) is a SCENE STEALER. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Valerie. Interesting note that I, being a guy, like the film. What I like about all chick flicks is the theme of female friendship. Men don't seem to bond like women. They tend to parallel play, or do sports or other activities side by side. But they rarely interact in a personal, meaningful way. Not sure why. Most heterosexual men are homophobic, I think, when it comes to male bonding. They do not feel comfortable emoting. Women do. So guys like me enjoy watching women do what we can't. Thank goodness women CAN bond and enjoy deep friendship with other women. If the world were run by men, we'd simply grunt at each other and go to war. Oh, hey, we do!
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts there, David.
ReplyDeleteEarly in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, I noticed the odd (to me) dialogue of the older kidnapper so concerned with the younger one eating. Something sounded off about that. Later...bingo! it was because he was gay and his lover. I find that men do form close friendships, but they sure don't express things the same way...unless they're gay?! haha