Posts Tagged ‘Maya Rudolph’

“Bridesmaids,” starring SNL’s Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, will have you laughing so hard you’ll choke on your popcorn…but it wasn’t quite the female-version of “The Hangover” I was expecting – read on for why!

Bridesmaids is the tale of a Maid of Honor, Annie (Kristen Wiig), whose life is a little in-the-toilet.  Her only relationship is allowing herself to be used by womanizing Ted, (a brilliant John Hamm), still mourning the loss of her self-owned bakery going out of business, and her roommates are a creepy British brother and sister duo.

When her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) asks her to take on the duties of highest maid, she reluctantly says yes and tries with all of her heart to make the traditional wedding rituals special on her limited budget.  Undermining her all the way is Lillian’s new friend, Helen; gorgeous, wealthy beyond imagination and perfect in every way.  The other bridesmaids are total bonus characters who add major funny to the mix!

I had two problems with the film:  1) it was a half hour too long (2 hours for a comedy Judd Apatow?!) and 2) it wasn’t what I was expecting.  I was indeed expecting the female version of “The Hangover,” judging from the multiple trailers I had been watching online for months.  Instead, the movie focuses on Annie’s deep and dark moments when everything in her life has gone wrong…and keeps getting worse.  There’s no funny in that!  Where’s the night no one can remember?  The lost bride?  The tiger in the bathroom?  “Bridesmaids” never took it this far.

That being said, I did laugh VERY hard, and there are great improv moments from all of the actresses, especially real-life buds Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.  Rose Byrne was excellent as the show-stealing Helen, and Melissa McCarthy is unbelievably hilarious as “The Wildcard” Megan.

Will you see “Bridesmaids” this weekend?  Comment below and be sure to check back for more of the latest tv/movie reviews from Megan Stecher right here at Positively Celebrity!

One of the greatest times of the year for top notch movies is the summer! Movie execs even change the dates their movies debut in order to take part in this sweltering time of year. Here are six films we can’t wait to see during the Summer 2009 movie season…

June

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Summer is an infamous time of year for sequels and 2009 is no exception.  The trailer alone for “Transformers 2” promises amazing action, explosive destruction, CG-palooza and there’s even a plot thrown in there too. Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) discovers the back story of the giant robots that are causing demolition worldwide – Egypt, Paris and the US. The cherry on this sundae – IMAX footage, which is sure to enhance the already exciting special effects. June 24th.

Away We Go – “Go’s” trailer caught my eye when I saw “Adventureland.” The odd couple of John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph (two hugely funny actors not frequently seen on the large screen) had me scribbling down the release date in the dark theater so I wouldn’t forget. “Go” is a “road trip” film for adults as Krasinski and Rudolph travel to see family and friends to find a place that feels like home before they become parents for the first time. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, and Catherine O’Hara are just a couple of the odd ball friends and family members visited by the pregnant couple. June 5th.

July

Public Enemies – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale – that’s all you need to be sold on this summer semi bio-pic. Directed by the successful Michael Mann (“Collateral,” “Ali,” “The Insider,” “Heat,” and “The Last of the Mohicans”) this film is already being talked about as the only summer film that will be remembered at Oscar time.  “Enemies” is a depression era crime drama about infamous bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) and the clean cut FBI agent determined to bring him in, Melvin Purvis (Bale).  Two stories from behind the scenes recount that Bale was in character 24/7 and that Depp was actually giddy at the opportunity to handle Dillinger’s actual brief case. This is going to be a real box office melter. July 1st.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – “Prince” should have been on the Fall ’08 list, but the higher ups who made the movie moved it to summer ’09 for financial reasons. The 2nd to last book in the JK Rowling series has a darker story that revolves around the origins of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Through multiple memory type flashback sequences the audience and Harry will learn a lot more about Voldemort’s history. There’s also the prospect of love for some of our favorite Hogwarts’ students (but I won’t tell you who in case you haven’t read the book). July 15th.

August

The Boat That Rocked – Haven’t heard of this movie yet? That’s ok – you’ll be dying to see it because of the cast alone: Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”), Emma Thompson (“Stranger Than Fiction’), Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace”), Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”), Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), January Jones (“Mad Men”), Rhys Darby (“Yes Man”), Jack Davenport (the “Pirates” movies), Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”), Rhys Ifans (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Kirsty Mather (“Mamma Mia”), and Tom Wisdom (“300”). What a line up! And it’s directed by Richard Curtis who did “Love Actually.” August 28th.

Inglourious Basterds – Yes, the movie title is spelled correctly. Leave it director Quentin Tarantino to find the craziest spelling for his latest film starring Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, B.J. Novak, Samuel L. Jackson and Cloris Leachman. “Inglourious” is two stories in one – the first is about a Jewish girl whose family is killed by Nazis, she leaves and ends up working at a movie theatre, and infatuated with a German war hero and plotting revenge for her family’s deaths. The second story – a group of Jewish-American soldiers who are working behind enemy lines plot their own scheme against the Nazis. How do the two stories relate? The movie theater is the key (how ironic). August 21st.