The versatile Kristen Wiig, the Saturday Night Live regular who has a way of making the inane and just plain weird hysterically funny, has worked hard at becoming a movie star. With Bridesmaids, which she co-wrote with former Groundlings improv pal Annie Mumolo as a vehicle for herself, she's finally made it.
It's lovely to see this fearless funny lady front and center at last and, although the movie ambles about and follows a familiar, class-conscious template jazzed up with gross-out scenes ( thanks, no doubt, to the participation of producer Judd Apatow ) , there's a lot to like ( and laugh at ) here.
Wiig plays Annie, the socioeconomic underdog trying to hang on to her implied rights as the best friend and maid of honor to Lillian ( Maya Rudolph ) , whose surprise engagement finds her stepping up in the world economically. Annie is quickly pitted against the wealthy, passive-aggressive Helen ( Rose Byrne ) , a Martha Stewart-like perfectionist who has taken on Lillian and her wedding as a new pet project and keeps besting Annie. Then there are the other quirky bridesmaids ( with Melissa McCarthy a standout, playing a female version of Zach Galifianakis ) ; Jon Hamm as a gorgeous egotist and Annie's "friend with benefits;" out actor Matt Lucas as the roommate from hell; and Chris O'Dowd as a sweet Irish cop who takes a shine to her. Jill Clayburgh, in her last screen role, plays Annie's mother, a woman with exceedingly tacky taste. Plot-wise, the movie's really not much more than a female cross between Meet the Parents and The Hangover.
The familiar formula, however, is enlivened by the gender change, as it's still somewhat refreshing to see women on the screen acting like their male counterparts: frankly expressing their sexual desires, trash-talking, objectifying the men, etc. The comedic timing and the lively camaraderie between Wiig and her female costars help make even the gross-out sequences hilarious in the hands of these deft comediennes. Moreover, the charming relationship between Wiig and O'Dowd adds a sexy sweetness to the formula that lingers beyond the fade-out of Bridesmaids and helps elevate the movie beyond its male frat comedy counterparts.
The passing of theatrical legend Arthur Laurents at 93 last week was noted with effusive tributes from all corners of the media. What else to expect for the man who penned West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle, Hallalujah, Baby!, Time of the Cuckoo and a host of other theatrical landmarks, and directed an equal number? Many of his theatrical successes went on to become well-regarded, award-winning movies and, although he didn't end up scripting them, Laurents also had a respectable career writing for Hollywood.
So, for filmgoers, too, Laurents's passing is equally noteworthy. He adapted Rope ( 1948 ) , with its coded queer subtext for Hitchcock ( starring then-lover Farley Granger ) ; adapted Anastasia ( 1956 ) , which brought Ingrid Bergman back to America; scripted The Way We Were ( 1973 ) for Barbra Streisand ( after bringing her Broadway success at the outset of her career when he cast her in 1962's I Can Get It For You Wholesale, which he directed ) .
For a generation of gay men, this old-fashioned, unlikely romance between a fearless, independent Jewish girl and her blonde, fairytale WASP prince ( Robert Redford, inspired casting ) was the perfect movie upon which to project unrealized gay fantasies. Laurents later penned 1977's The Turning Point as an homage to his longtime friend, ballerina Nora Kaye; it starred Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine.
Laurents also leaves a legacy of sexual bravery. He was as famous throughout his career for being openly, unapologetically gay ( as he and his lover of 50 years, Tom Hatcher, are prominently featured in the fascinating tome The Gay Metropolis, Charles Kaiser's history of New York gay life ) . Laurents was also known for his feisty, forthright opinions ( his interview segments in The Celluloid Closet being a prime example ) . A new film version of Gypsy starring Streisand, which Laurents had reportedly signed off on, is in the works. Upon his death, Streisand commented in part, "He created people you care about because he cared about people."
Film notes:
—Dyke Delicious, the popular, long-running monthly social/screening event series co-presented by Black Cat Productions and Reeling. returns on Saturday, May 14, with May Shorts at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark. The line-up includes nine lesbian-themed shorts and trailers ) that run the gamut from "hilarious to heartfelt." A bevy of the filmmakers will be on hand for the screening. As usual with Dyke Delicious, a social hour starts the evening at 7 p.m. with the screenings beginning at 8 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10. ( Advance RSVP suggested; email dykedelicious@chicagofilmmakers.org, call 773-293-1447 or visit www.chicagofilmmakers.org )
—Help queer cinema in Chicago: Nathan Adloff, a Chicago-based out writer-director is preparing to shoot Nate & Margaret, his second LGBT-themed feature here in Chicago. The movie, which will utilize a batch of local LGBT hangouts, is a comedy with autobiographical overtones ( co-written by Adloff and Justin D.M. Palmer ) that will star Natalie Robinson ( Crystal from the "Roseanne" show ) and Tyler Ross, along with several local Chicago actors. Shooting commences in early June but like pretty much all indie cinema ( and queer-themed movies, especially ) , the film needs help in the funding department. To that end, the producers have created a Kickstarter campaign that ends May 17. Fans of queer cinema can help support the film for as little as $10. See http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/n8r/nate-and-margaret.
—Save the date: Trikone Chicago, a group created for Chicago-based LGBT Asians in association with the Columbia College Center for Asian Arts and Media, and the Kalish-Mumbai International Queer Film Festival are jointly presenting KalaKranti 2011, a festival of queer South Asian short films Saturday, June 4, from 12-5 p.m., at Columbia College Film Row Center, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor. The lineup for the free event features 12 experimental, documentary and fiction shorts from "the subcontinent and the diaspora, exploring a broad range of ideas, images and identities." See www.trikonechicago.org .
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitymediagroup.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter website.
