Even McCarthy’s unforgettable encounter with the sink is the result of the character sizing up her options and picking the least worst. When faced with a gastrointestinal system that has rapidly gone to Defcon 1 you can imagine yourself reflexively diving for the toilet bowl regardless of whether it is already occupied by a friend’s head. What really elevates the scene from good to classic is that no matter how wild it gets, the ladies’ panic moves remain completely understandable. It’s such deft misdirection, I would reach up to the top shelf adjectives and pull down “exquisite” to describe the writing, maybe not the first word that comes to mind when you think of a red-faced Melissa McCarthy volcanically shitting into a sink, but I call ‘em like I see ‘em.Ĭompare that to similar bathroom emergency gags in American Pie and Dumb and Dumber, the setup to both of which features a character holding a bottle a laxative up for the camera and grinning mischievously. So does the uber-fancy boutique, which also doubles as a dig at the excesses of the Wedding Industrial Complex. The sketchy meat place Annie takes them to works as a self-contained joke on Annie’s futile attempts to compete with Helen financially. Nothing can torpedo a laugh faster than catching the filmmakers nudging the material toward a desired outcome, but writers Annie Mumulo and Kristen Wiig camouflage the ladies’ march to disaster so artfully in Annie’s (Kristin Wiig) escalating competition with Helen (Rose Byrne) that we never notice the fuse being lit for the later payoff. I mean, If we absolutely must make sweeping generalizations along gender lines, we would have to conclude Bridesmaids proves ladies do gross-out with infinitely more wit and sophistication than the boys.
Often it’s acknowledged with some glib and subtly condescending remark along the lines of, “Ladies can be just as gross as the boys!” and I think that significantly undersells the scene.
On the other hand, I’ve noticed Bridesmaids’ uproarious food poisoning sequence seldom gets the respect it deserves. If I’m hesitant it’s not because I’m squeamish, but because I’ve found dissecting jokes to see how they work to be one of life’s less rewarding endeavors.