BridesmaidsMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Bridesmaids."

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Avg. Critic Score: 75 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Through it all -- the free-form conversations, the brilliant set pieces, the preposterous gross-outs, the flawless performances -- Kristen Wiig's forlorn maid of honor, Annie, seeks her own destiny with a wrenchingly cockeyed passion. Read full review

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli

    A film of great hilarity, humanity, idiosyncrasy and grade-A, eyebrow-singeing raunch. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    She's an Everywoman you can believe in, showcased in the kind of deft comedy of feminine passion - where deep despair meets Wilson Phillips - that a great many people have been waiting for. Now that Wiig and company have built it, will they come? Read full review

  • 90
    Boxoffice Magazine |

    A breakthrough comedy, a four-square piece of populist fun that ranks as quite possibly the best mainstream American comedy in years-at least since "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey

    From the first overheated moments of Bridesmaids...it's clear we're in for that rarest of treats: an R-rated romantic comedy from the Venus point of view. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Bridesmaids seems to be a more or less deliberate attempt to cross the Chick Flick with the Raunch Comedy. It definitively proves that women are the equal of men in vulgarity, sexual frankness, lust, vulnerability, overdrinking and insecurity. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    The movie is smart about a lot of things, including the vital importance of female friendships. And it's nice to see so many actresses taking up space while making fun of something besides other women. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Those looking to get a raucous laugh should say "I do" to Bridesmaids. Read full review

  • 70
    Village Voice |

    Many of the chaotic set pieces cataloging Annie's self-destruction have a kind of dumb crassness that works against Bridesmaids' often smart, highly class-conscious deconstruction of female friendship and competition. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    A sluggish, charmless misfire in which even the most appealing players -- must try too hard to make anything close to an engaging impression. Read full review

View more reviews for Bridesmaids on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Crude but sincere comedy about friendship and confidence.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this hilarious yet affecting R-rated comedy shows how two friends, Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph), cope when their lives are upended by Lillian's impending wedding. Produced by Judd Apatow, Bridesmaids has all the hallmarks of an Apatow vehicle, including risque humor (there's no nudity, but expect plenty of sex talk and a couple scenes with moaning and groaning), over-the-top scatological comedy (the consequences of some unintentional food poisoning are beyond raunchy), zany adventures, crude language (including "f--k" and "c--t"), immature behavior (some of which is fueled by drinking) ... and surprising insight into friendships and adult relationships. It's not age appropriate for tweens and young teens, but it's definitely worth viewing for older moviegoers interested in a fresh spin on the "chick flick" formula.
  • Families can talk about how this movie (which some have called "the female Hangover") compares to similar films starring men. Is this kind of humor any less funny when women are the instigators? Do you think it appeals to the same audience?
  • How does this movie compare to others about weddings? What role does the media play in making us think that the wedding is as important as the marriage? Is it important to have a big, fancy, expensive wedding/shower/bachelorette party?
  • How does the movie portray female friendships? Does it seem realistic? Teens: Have you ever gotten caught up in a friendship drama like the one between Annie, Lillian, and Helen? What happened?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: The road to the movie's "lesson" is hilarious and often raunchy, but the message is earnest: Good friendships don't come often, so cherish them. And also this: Your life is what you make of it. So if you're down, get on your feet.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Though they lose sight of what's important for a bit, Annie and Lillian ultimately have each other's backs. For most of the movie, Annie is very hard on herself and lets life get her down, but she finds her way back to a positive attitude -- which is very relatable journey. Megan is a strong, can-do woman with a great attitude; she's crude, but she's also the most self-confident character of the bunch. There's some cattiness among the women, but much of it is ultimately addressed maturely. The two main male characters are polar opposites; one is a shallow, callous jerk (and is clearly intended to be seen that way), while the other is sweet and supportive.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A woman goes berserk at a bridal shower and attacks the decorations and the cake and upends tables. A medicated airplane passenger causes a commotion that drives a federal marshal to action. Some discussion about where to stash a gun.
  • sex false3 Sex: The movie opens with an energetic, often loud sex scene; no sensitive body parts are shown, but nudity is implied (you can see down the whole side of the man's body at one point), and the woman is wearing a bra and underwear. Lots of moaning and groaning. A man squeezes a woman's breast through her bra and talks about having "f--k buddies." A couple is shown making out and trying to rip each other's clothes off; later, she wakes up in bed covered by a sheet (nudity is implied). Another character propositions strangers, sometimes crudely. A woman takes off her top to get a man's attention (shoulders shown, but not breasts). Plenty of sexual innuendo/talk; a woman does an impression of a penis.
  • language false4 Language: Strong, frequent language includes "f--k" (and many permutations of it), "s--t," "d--k," "c--k," "c--t," "ass," "a--hole," "goddamn," "damn," "oh my God," "hell," and more.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Some glimpses of labels, but the bigger issue here is the commercialization of weddings and the "bigger is better" ethos that has pervaded the whole engagement-to-nuptials journey.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of champagne- and wine-swilling at events, sometimes to excess. A woman gives a friend prescription drugs to calm her nerves during a flight, which she combines with hard alcohol -- to detrimental effect.
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Dave White

4.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

Redeeming the words "chick" and "flick." Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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Exclusive Features

Set Visit 'Bridesmaids' Set Visit Kristen Wiig leads a group of bridesmaids for bride-to-be Maya Rudolph. Find out what went down during our set visit. Director Paul Feig SXSW Interview Feig talks about stepping into the hornets nest with a group of talented, funny women and how Kristen Wiig nutured this movie to fruition.