Kristen Wiig gets her turn in Bridesmaids

MANILA, Philippines - One of the year’s funniest, best reviewed movies finally comes to our shores, but it might fly under your radar. The trailer for Bridesmaids hasn’t been showing in theaters because it got an X-rating from the MTRCB (they’re stricter on trailers; it’s either GP or the X rejection) so some people might not even realize that it came out this past Wednesday (that, and it’s an SM Cinemas exclusive). So let us take this opportunity to tell you: Go see this film.

There may not be A-list celebrities in the cast but surely many people can recognize Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph from Saturday Night Live, as well as Rose Byrne from Damages and Jon Hamm from Mad Men. Regardless, Bridesmaids has performed very well for an R-rated comedy starring women. To date it’s grossed $161 million in the US alone.

That’s not the reason we’re recommending it, though: The reason is it’s just a good, very funny movie. It’s great to see a comedy written by women (star Wiig and co-writer Annie Mumolo), starring women, that is actually really funny and raunchy. That it has received the success and acclaim it deserves is icing on the top. Wiig has been Saturday Night Live’s best performer for years, and while she’s been in several movies in supporting roles she deserves this showcase, and makes the most of it. Her character gets asked to be the maid of honor when her best friend, played by Maya Rudolph (another SNL alum), gets engaged. So begins a raucuous ride to the altar as she tries to wrestle with the duties expected of a maid of honor. This includes setting up the “hen party,” along with some oneupsmanship and not-so-friendly competition from the other bridesmaids who feel they may have been overlooked as maid of honor. While Wiig leads the cast the others do splendid work: It’s great seeing Byrne doing more comedies since people are more familiar with her dramatic range; Hamm plays a very different type of ladies’ man than you’d expect from his classic Don Draper role, and Melissa McCarthy is a particular standout, getting some of the best lines (and laughs) in the film.

Maya Rudolph (right) asks Kristen Wiig to be her maid of honor and star in a hit film. Wiig agrees.

While mostly several barrelsful of laughs there’s also a fair bit of heart at the center of the film. Normally these “serious” parts in comedy films are handled so clumsily or with such schmaltzy heavy-handedness that usually one wishes they didn’t bother, but when it’s done well, with a certain class and restraint, it can pay off beautifully, as it does here.

Another nice feature of the film is that it’s a reunion of sorts between director Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad). It’s their first major work together since the little-seen, cancelled-too-early but now cult-favorite TV show Freaks & Geeks (which featured the first appearances of James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, among others).

Kudos to Solar for bringing in the film and taking a risk on a female-centric R-rated comedy with no major stars, and to SM for giving them a venue. Hopefully we’ll see more deserving if lesser-known films coming in under their banner.

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Bridesmaids is an SM Cinemas exclusive, so check where it’s showing in your area!