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Bridesmaids: more than a chick flick

From the first overheated moments of "Bridesmaids," with its Kama Sutra-plus-six-positions sex — so satisfying for him, so exhausting for her — it's clear we're in for that rarest of treats: an R-rated romantic comedy from a different point of view.

To call "Bridesmaids" a chick flick would be like calling "The Notebook" a dude flick: it just wouldn't be right. Written by Kristen Wiig, of ‘Saturday Night Live' and scene-stealing fame in "Knocked Up," and Annie Mumolo, the movie chronicles some of life's most important values in a very realistic way, while adding hilarious moments at the same time that all flow together beautifully.

Director Paul Feig's (creator of "Freaks and Geeks") hilarious new comedy tells the story of Annie (Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph, "Saturday Night Live") who have been best friends since their childhood and still remain very close.

Lillian, after announcing her engagement, asks Annie to be her maid of honor. The news throws Annie who, after her cake shop has gone under, is struggling with her lousy job, soon-to-be-lemon car abnd odd brother-and-sister roommates. She isn't with anyone, though she does have an "adult sleepover" buddy played brilliantly by Jon Hamm ("Mad Men").

The creative collective continues most notably with Rose Byrne, ("Get Him to the Greek") Melissa McCarthy ("Gilmore Girls"), Wendi McLendon-Covey ("Reno 911!") and Ellie Kemper ("The Office") as the other merry maids. They all work hard to squeeze everything out of the clever script.

As the wedding draws closer, Annie screws up time after time, giving parties that fail and insults that don't work. Along with the other bridesmaids — Megan (McCarthy), Helen (Byrne), Rita (McLendon-Covey), and Becca (Kemper) - Lillian and Annie laugh, cry, barf and board a plane to Vegas to test the bonds of friendship en route to a (metaphorical) hangover of their own.

There's a guy in the mix, too Officer Nathan Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd), who takes a shining to Annie, is so nice that the cranky, complaining Annie doesn't notice it for a while. Wiig keeps her features jumping and sometimes bunched up, she's a funny, pretty woman, but she's also a comedian, and she's wonderfully confident about not playing nice.

It wouldn't be hard to oversell "Bridesmaids." It would actually be easier, though somewhat foolish to do the opposite. Formally, it's not that daring: there isn't much to look at beyond all these female (and Jon Hamm) faces. Yet, these are great faces, and the movie is excellent about a lot of things, including the vital importance of female friendships.

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