By WICF Editor Liz McKeon
Good morning!
What, rough weekend?
Showing posts with label Kristen Wiig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristen Wiig. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, May 14, 2011
'Bridesmaids' is Ambitious, and as Complex as Its Main Character
By Contributor Meghan O'Keefe
Bridesmaids is a funny and charming film. Like Clueless, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and Mean Girls, it will probably be quoted by teenaged girls and drunk twenty-somethings for the next decade or two. Is it the groundbreaking comedy masterpiece that some people were hoping? No. It's not going to reinvent how comedians approach their writing or performances. It will, however, help bring more female comedians to the forefront. So, in that way, it's a completely successful film. It's funny, is doing great box office business and shows producers that women can carry comedy films.
The movie follows Annie (Kristen Wiig) as she copes with her life falling apart at the same time that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married. Kristen Wiig is probably best known for her large, over-the-top, "look at me" characters that she performs on "Saturday Night Live." The weird thing is, I think Wiig's greatest talent isn't pushing herself to the extreme, but revealing truth through nuance. Thankfully, Bridesmaids gives her the opportunity to do both. Whether it's her subtle facial reactions to anything the snooty Helen (Rose Byrne) says or having a temper tantrum at a fancy bridal shower, Wiig brings the funny and she brings it hard.
The rest of the cast is also great. In particular, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson stand out with comedic performances that should redefine the directions of each of their careers. If you had told me even one year ago that the biggest star to come out of "Gilmore Girls" would be Melissa McCarthy, I would be nonplussed. I know some of my friends objected to her characterization in the trailers, but she really comes off as the biggest discovery in this film. She's fearless and finally breaks out of "sweet supportive best friend" mode. Byrne is the only actress without a comedy background, so it's delightful to see her nail every angle of Helen. She was great in Get Him To The Greek, but I think after this film we'll hopefully see her transition from supporting dramatic roles to starring in comedies. I was unfamiliar with Rebel Wilson before this film, but after seeing her bizarre roommate schtick, I want more. I expect American producers will, too.
If these three women were able to stand out, then it has to be noted that it was very disappointing to see Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey being woefully underutilized. Rudolph gets very little opportunity to flex any of her comedic muscles. She's the sweet best friend caught in the middle of Annie's breakdown, so everything she does is to ground everyone else around her. Kemper and McLendon-Covey are set up to have hilarious character arcs, but the story stops following them halfway through the film. Each of these women shine when they have a chance, but you get the feeling that some of their best moments may have been cut to accommodate the larger story.
If Bridesmaids has one great weakness, it's that it's trying to be too many things for too many people at once. What this means is that there's something for everyone, but it also means that everyone I've spoken to about the film is disappointed that there wasn't more of one specific thing. It's an ensemble comedy, it's a gross-out fest, it's a love story between best friends, it's a coming-of-age film, it's a romance film, it's a study in a woman's breakdown, it's an argument for never having children (seriously, every child in this film is a foul-mouthed hellion), it's a springboard for previously unknown comedic talent, it's Kristen Wiig's first starring vehicle and it's an ode to the cuteness of puppies. The film does it's best to address all of these angles (and it does do a good job), but you get the feeling that so much was cut. How did an Irish man become a Minnesota police officer? Does Annie start making plans for a new bakery at the film's close? What happens to Ellie Kemper and Melinda McLendon-Covey's characters? How did Annie know Bill Cozbi and her mother had AA in common? WHO'S CAROL?? I'm sorry, but if you drop Melanie Hutsell in as Annie's tennis partner then I need to know where she came from and why she also hates Helen.
In a way it's really good that I desperately want to know more about all the little flourishes in Bridesmaids's world. It shows that the film exists in a dense universe and that there are more stories to be told. But it's also a sign that maybe there was a lack of focus in production. In the press coverage for Bridesmaids, it was revealed that producer Judd Apatow was the mastermind behind the raunchier parts of the film. He created the "ladies in pretty dresses puke and poop all over the place" scene and pushed for the film to be called Bridesmaids instead of its working title, Single. Apatow's influence on the film seems to be about taking a film that focuses on one woman's spiral into and out of self-loathing and turning it into a riotous crowd-pleaser. It's also clear that the film still doesn't know whether it's about a bunch of bridesmaids or that single woman. The first half is set up like the uproarious female ensemble comedy that the billboards advertised, but after a scene where Annie acts out on a plane, the film drops the group and follows only her. What's interesting is that I enjoyed both movies that Bridesmaids was trying to be. I loved watching a group of brilliant female comedians work off of one another, but I also loved the way Annie's story highlighted that people need to take responsibilities for their mistakes and stop blaming others for their own setbacks.
Bridesmaids will be remembered as an incredibly ambitious film. People will probably remember that this film was touted as the ground-breaker for female comedies, but it's the scope of the story itself that's also ambitious. What's amazing is that the film, while not perfect, doesn't disappoint. It shows women as funny, unique and complex. Hopefully, this signals that in the future we'll get to see more funny, unique and complex women in movies. Because, seriously, we're all funny, unique and complex and it's about time Hollywood took notice.
Meghan O'Keefe is a comedian in NYC. She covers this topic and more at megsokay.tumblr.com.
Bridesmaids is a funny and charming film. Like Clueless, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and Mean Girls, it will probably be quoted by teenaged girls and drunk twenty-somethings for the next decade or two. Is it the groundbreaking comedy masterpiece that some people were hoping? No. It's not going to reinvent how comedians approach their writing or performances. It will, however, help bring more female comedians to the forefront. So, in that way, it's a completely successful film. It's funny, is doing great box office business and shows producers that women can carry comedy films.
The movie follows Annie (Kristen Wiig) as she copes with her life falling apart at the same time that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married. Kristen Wiig is probably best known for her large, over-the-top, "look at me" characters that she performs on "Saturday Night Live." The weird thing is, I think Wiig's greatest talent isn't pushing herself to the extreme, but revealing truth through nuance. Thankfully, Bridesmaids gives her the opportunity to do both. Whether it's her subtle facial reactions to anything the snooty Helen (Rose Byrne) says or having a temper tantrum at a fancy bridal shower, Wiig brings the funny and she brings it hard.
The rest of the cast is also great. In particular, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson stand out with comedic performances that should redefine the directions of each of their careers. If you had told me even one year ago that the biggest star to come out of "Gilmore Girls" would be Melissa McCarthy, I would be nonplussed. I know some of my friends objected to her characterization in the trailers, but she really comes off as the biggest discovery in this film. She's fearless and finally breaks out of "sweet supportive best friend" mode. Byrne is the only actress without a comedy background, so it's delightful to see her nail every angle of Helen. She was great in Get Him To The Greek, but I think after this film we'll hopefully see her transition from supporting dramatic roles to starring in comedies. I was unfamiliar with Rebel Wilson before this film, but after seeing her bizarre roommate schtick, I want more. I expect American producers will, too.
If these three women were able to stand out, then it has to be noted that it was very disappointing to see Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey being woefully underutilized. Rudolph gets very little opportunity to flex any of her comedic muscles. She's the sweet best friend caught in the middle of Annie's breakdown, so everything she does is to ground everyone else around her. Kemper and McLendon-Covey are set up to have hilarious character arcs, but the story stops following them halfway through the film. Each of these women shine when they have a chance, but you get the feeling that some of their best moments may have been cut to accommodate the larger story. If Bridesmaids has one great weakness, it's that it's trying to be too many things for too many people at once. What this means is that there's something for everyone, but it also means that everyone I've spoken to about the film is disappointed that there wasn't more of one specific thing. It's an ensemble comedy, it's a gross-out fest, it's a love story between best friends, it's a coming-of-age film, it's a romance film, it's a study in a woman's breakdown, it's an argument for never having children (seriously, every child in this film is a foul-mouthed hellion), it's a springboard for previously unknown comedic talent, it's Kristen Wiig's first starring vehicle and it's an ode to the cuteness of puppies. The film does it's best to address all of these angles (and it does do a good job), but you get the feeling that so much was cut. How did an Irish man become a Minnesota police officer? Does Annie start making plans for a new bakery at the film's close? What happens to Ellie Kemper and Melinda McLendon-Covey's characters? How did Annie know Bill Cozbi and her mother had AA in common? WHO'S CAROL?? I'm sorry, but if you drop Melanie Hutsell in as Annie's tennis partner then I need to know where she came from and why she also hates Helen.
In a way it's really good that I desperately want to know more about all the little flourishes in Bridesmaids's world. It shows that the film exists in a dense universe and that there are more stories to be told. But it's also a sign that maybe there was a lack of focus in production. In the press coverage for Bridesmaids, it was revealed that producer Judd Apatow was the mastermind behind the raunchier parts of the film. He created the "ladies in pretty dresses puke and poop all over the place" scene and pushed for the film to be called Bridesmaids instead of its working title, Single. Apatow's influence on the film seems to be about taking a film that focuses on one woman's spiral into and out of self-loathing and turning it into a riotous crowd-pleaser. It's also clear that the film still doesn't know whether it's about a bunch of bridesmaids or that single woman. The first half is set up like the uproarious female ensemble comedy that the billboards advertised, but after a scene where Annie acts out on a plane, the film drops the group and follows only her. What's interesting is that I enjoyed both movies that Bridesmaids was trying to be. I loved watching a group of brilliant female comedians work off of one another, but I also loved the way Annie's story highlighted that people need to take responsibilities for their mistakes and stop blaming others for their own setbacks.
Bridesmaids will be remembered as an incredibly ambitious film. People will probably remember that this film was touted as the ground-breaker for female comedies, but it's the scope of the story itself that's also ambitious. What's amazing is that the film, while not perfect, doesn't disappoint. It shows women as funny, unique and complex. Hopefully, this signals that in the future we'll get to see more funny, unique and complex women in movies. Because, seriously, we're all funny, unique and complex and it's about time Hollywood took notice.
Meghan O'Keefe is a comedian in NYC. She covers this topic and more at megsokay.tumblr.com.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Woman-Helmed Comedy Leads 'Comedy Awards' Noms
By WICF Editor Liz McKeon
The new Comedy Awards, which will be taped on March 26th in NY's Hammerstein Ballroom, and aired on April 10th across Viacom properties Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1, Logo, CMT, and Nick at Nite, announced the first-ever nominations today, according to Variety.
"30 Rock" carried the day with seven nominations, with Comedy Actress — TV noms for Tina Fey and Jane Krakowski, and Comedy Actor — TV noms for Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan, as well as noms in the Writing, Directing, and Comedy Series categories, all three of which pit it against "The Office."
Tina Fey was also nominated in the Comedy Actress — Film category for Date Night.
According to Jon Weisman at Variety, the nominations were chosen by a board which included James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Conan O'Brien, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, Jon Stewart and Lily Tomlin.
Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Betty White ("Hot In Cleveland"), and Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live") all got acting nods, as did Anne Hathaway (Love & Other Drugs), Dame Helen Mirren (Red), Chloë Moretz (Kick-Ass), and Emma Stone (Easy A). Both Stone's and Moretz's films are up for Best Comedy Film, Screenplay, and Film Director awards, as well. This means that Jane Goldman, along with Matthew Vaughn, is up for Best Sceenplay (Kick-Ass).
Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital," which stars Erinn Hayes, Megan Mullally, and creator Rob Corddry, is up for the Sketch Comedy/Alternative Comedy Series category, as is Wiig's "Saturday Night Live."
Whitney Cummings' special, "Money Shot," was nominated in the Stand-Up Special category. Comedy It Girl Lena Dunham was nominated for her screenplay for Tiny Furniture.
The new Comedy Awards, which will be taped on March 26th in NY's Hammerstein Ballroom, and aired on April 10th across Viacom properties Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1, Logo, CMT, and Nick at Nite, announced the first-ever nominations today, according to Variety.
"30 Rock" carried the day with seven nominations, with Comedy Actress — TV noms for Tina Fey and Jane Krakowski, and Comedy Actor — TV noms for Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan, as well as noms in the Writing, Directing, and Comedy Series categories, all three of which pit it against "The Office."
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| Tina Fey at this year's SAG Awards. Photo courtesy of JustJared.com. |
According to Jon Weisman at Variety, the nominations were chosen by a board which included James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Conan O'Brien, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, Jon Stewart and Lily Tomlin.
Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Betty White ("Hot In Cleveland"), and Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live") all got acting nods, as did Anne Hathaway (Love & Other Drugs), Dame Helen Mirren (Red), Chloë Moretz (Kick-Ass), and Emma Stone (Easy A). Both Stone's and Moretz's films are up for Best Comedy Film, Screenplay, and Film Director awards, as well. This means that Jane Goldman, along with Matthew Vaughn, is up for Best Sceenplay (Kick-Ass).
Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital," which stars Erinn Hayes, Megan Mullally, and creator Rob Corddry, is up for the Sketch Comedy/Alternative Comedy Series category, as is Wiig's "Saturday Night Live."
Whitney Cummings' special, "Money Shot," was nominated in the Stand-Up Special category. Comedy It Girl Lena Dunham was nominated for her screenplay for Tiny Furniture.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
'Bridesmaids' Has Its Place in the Pantheon
By Contributor Meghan O'Keefe
It’s a movie about women who get into fights with each other over a wedding. We’ve seen it before, right? Quite a few times, in fact. We’ve seen it enough times that although we know a tight script and charming performances can make the story enjoyable, we also know that girl fights and the idea that a wedding day is the most important day of any woman’s life can be jarring to feminist sensibilities.
So why am I getting ridiculously psyched about Bridesmaids and what it means for women in comedy? Look at that line-up:
Why did I spell all this out? Because we’re looking at the first ensemble female comedy that boasts an ensemble of female comedians. These are not pretty ingénues put in a high school comedy with a couple of supporting assists from “SCTV” alums. This is a pantheon of comedy goddesses. Yes, Fey & Poehler did Baby Mama, but that’s a buddy film. Yes, I’m aware of a film called Spring Breakdown, but it was released straight to DVD. Look at this poster. The producers mean business. They mean for this to be as big a summer comedy as Wedding Crashers, The Hangover, or Knocked Up.
I had to write an article recently about the issue of female comedies and why a lot of them are dismissed as chick flicks by the comedy mainstream. During my research (which was super serious and involved drinking a lot of wine while watching movies while wearing a fish hat) I realized that maybe the reason a lot of female comedies aren’t given much thought by male comedians is because the actresses in them don’t often come from a comedy background. These women have those chops. Male comics are sitting up and buzzing about this film. So, if this film does do great box office, it’ll show that women who come from stand up, improv and “SNL” can star in comedies and pull in the same money that male stars from those backgrounds do. Which means … more female comedians in starring roles in comedies. Big deal, guys. HUGE. The film could be about knitting circles or a finishing school. I wouldn’t care. The very existence of this film is a pro-female statement.
So, that’s why I’m crossing my fingers and holding my breath that Bridesmaids is an incredibly funny film. It should be. I mean, look at that talent. These women could hiccup hilariously on camera together for two hours and it would be amazing. More importantly, I’m hoping that people turn up to see it. I’m hoping that the box office receipts reflect the talent involved because, in Hollywood, money makes the big decisions. So, I know already no matter how broke I am come May 13, 2011, that I’m going to see this film in the theaters. Anyone else want to join me?
Meghan O'Keefe is a comedian in NYC. She covers this topic and more at megsokay.tumblr.com
It’s a movie about women who get into fights with each other over a wedding. We’ve seen it before, right? Quite a few times, in fact. We’ve seen it enough times that although we know a tight script and charming performances can make the story enjoyable, we also know that girl fights and the idea that a wedding day is the most important day of any woman’s life can be jarring to feminist sensibilities.So why am I getting ridiculously psyched about Bridesmaids and what it means for women in comedy? Look at that line-up:
- Melissa McCarthy started her career as a PA on her cousin Jenny’s sketch comedy show and as a stand-up comic. Then, she was on “Gilmore Girls” — you know, that show lauded for its quippy dialogue, ability to balance heart with comedy, and dense collection of fully realized background characters. Now she’s on one of the highest-rated sitcoms in the country (love it or hate it, it’s TRUE). McCarthy has comedy cred.
- Wendi McLendon-Covey was a member of the Groundlings from 2002-2009. So, she has straight up improv comedy cred. Add to that her time on “Reno 911!,” and we’re talking obscene comedy cred.
- Ellie Kemper started doing improv at Princeton and then went on to be in Big Black Car at the P.I.T. in NYC. You guys know Big Black Car, right? Kristen Schaal, Kurt Braunohler, and Matt Oberg’s troop. Everyone on that team is an improv god. Oh, yeah, she’s also on “The Office.” Kemper has serious comedy cred.
- Kristen Wiig. Um … do I need to start? Groundlings, “Saturday Night Live,” bit parts in numerous Apatow productions and other comedies. She’s considered by many to be the star of “Saturday Night Live” right now. Wiig clearly has massive comedy cred.
- Maya Rudolph. Again with the Groundlings and again with “Saturday Night Live.” Do I even need to affirm Rudolph’s comedy cred?
- Rose Byrne. The lone dramatic actress in the bunch. However, she is an amazing character actress and character actors usually acquit themselves brilliantly with comedy. She already did with her Lily Allen-meets-Cheryl Cole impression in Get Him to the Greek. Byrne doesn’t have comedy cred, per se, but she’s got credibility.
Why did I spell all this out? Because we’re looking at the first ensemble female comedy that boasts an ensemble of female comedians. These are not pretty ingénues put in a high school comedy with a couple of supporting assists from “SCTV” alums. This is a pantheon of comedy goddesses. Yes, Fey & Poehler did Baby Mama, but that’s a buddy film. Yes, I’m aware of a film called Spring Breakdown, but it was released straight to DVD. Look at this poster. The producers mean business. They mean for this to be as big a summer comedy as Wedding Crashers, The Hangover, or Knocked Up.
I had to write an article recently about the issue of female comedies and why a lot of them are dismissed as chick flicks by the comedy mainstream. During my research (which was super serious and involved drinking a lot of wine while watching movies while wearing a fish hat) I realized that maybe the reason a lot of female comedies aren’t given much thought by male comedians is because the actresses in them don’t often come from a comedy background. These women have those chops. Male comics are sitting up and buzzing about this film. So, if this film does do great box office, it’ll show that women who come from stand up, improv and “SNL” can star in comedies and pull in the same money that male stars from those backgrounds do. Which means … more female comedians in starring roles in comedies. Big deal, guys. HUGE. The film could be about knitting circles or a finishing school. I wouldn’t care. The very existence of this film is a pro-female statement.
So, that’s why I’m crossing my fingers and holding my breath that Bridesmaids is an incredibly funny film. It should be. I mean, look at that talent. These women could hiccup hilariously on camera together for two hours and it would be amazing. More importantly, I’m hoping that people turn up to see it. I’m hoping that the box office receipts reflect the talent involved because, in Hollywood, money makes the big decisions. So, I know already no matter how broke I am come May 13, 2011, that I’m going to see this film in the theaters. Anyone else want to join me?
Meghan O'Keefe is a comedian in NYC. She covers this topic and more at megsokay.tumblr.com
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