Bridesmaids has made a huge splash (its official weekend opener numbers remain to be seen) and is being heralded as a new era of comedy - specifically because the ensemble cast is all women.
The movie is said to have made over $24 million at the box office, and is such a surprise that Nikki Finke is considering "hiring a moving van" over a bet she lost after saying that the movie wouldn't make over $12 or $15 million.
It's great that a female-driven comedy has given Hollywood the shake-up it needs. It's just disheartening that it's taken this long.
It's 2011, people, and yes, women can hold their own. Or even vomit, and people will laugh. I agree that Bridesmaids is a great movie, but the overall sentiment of "surprise" that women can be and are funny, as well as drive movie-goers to see that - is absurd.
The most surprising part about the press regarding the film is just that this comedy has become a gendered issue. There have always been funny women, and continue to be a driving force that needs to be recognized. Tina Fey, for one, has propelled a show like 30 Rock from being just another scripted comedy to one of the smartest and best shows on television. Without any potty humor.
Why does it take a movie like Bridesmaids for people to realize that? And does it take a big male comedy name like Judd Apatow for that to happen? Is comedy still seen as a male-only sport?
Comedians are acknowledging this double standard, but also poking fun at the general surprise that yes, chicks are funny. Mindy Kaling, one such brilliant funny lady, tweeted on Saturday that she "wasn't going to see Bridesmaids as a feminist statement, but because the ensemble is the funniest since A Fish Called Wanda."
Am I the only one who finds the story angle that Bridesmaids ushers in a new era of comedy, or that it's advancing women in comedy, both insulting and belittling? It might be true, and it is a great achievement for Kristen Wiig and the other women in the movie. I'm glad that other female-driven comedies will be green lit (we hope) because of the success of Bridesmaids.
However, it's important to not let the "women are funny" angle obscure what Bridesmaids is - great acting, fantastic comedic timing, and great writing. Not to mention, a very poignant movie about female interpersonal relationships, in the way that Mean Girls so brilliantly conveyed.
Women have always been funny, it's just too bad that it's gotten to 2011 for the box office and Hollywood at large to acknowledge that.
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