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Bridesmaids gets a thorough release on Blu-ray – including two versions of the movie and over 2 hours of extended and deleted material, not to mention a host of additional extras. It also boasts solid picture and sound. So it’s a pity that the movie itself isn’t better. Fans of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph will have a good time here, as will fans of the Judd Apatow label, but more casual viewers will find this a much tougher movie to get through – too long by at least 30 minutes, and too off putting in many of the scenes that do work.
BRIDESMAIDS
Studio: Universal
Year: 2011
Length: 2 hrs 5 mins (Theatrical), 2 hrs 11 mins (Unrated)
Genre: Comedy/SNL/Judd Apatow
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
BD Resolution and Codec: 1080p, AVC @ 25 mpbs
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (@ an average 3.4 mbps, up to 4.6 mbps), Spanish DTS 5.1, French DTS 5.1, English DVS 2.0 (only on Theatrical Version)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R (Strong Sexuality and Language), Unrated (Same, with more Gross-out Moments)
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, and Chris O’Dowd, with a cameo by Jon Hamm
Written by: Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Directed by: Paul Feig
Produced by: Judd Apatow (credited with Clayton Townsend and Barry Mendel)
Film Rating: 2 ½/5
Regardless of my opinion of the movie, I cannot deny that Bridesmaids was a substantial hit in the movie theaters this spring and is already a hit in DVD and Blu-ray sales as I write this review. And I can’t deny its appeal – it stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph and it explores the female side of the usual Judd Apatow/SNL equation, this time giving the women their own voice in the raunch and the wildness of what goes on. The movie’s plot is fairly simple – Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the script with Annie Mumolo) plays Annie, a woman both unlucky in love and life, who serves as Maid of Honor for her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Of course, the situation quickly goes from the expected awkwardness to some painful situations, including a toast that gets hijacked by Lillian’s more recent friend Helen (Rose Byrne), a Brazilian lunch gone wrong and a plane flight that makes the lunch look like a walk in the park. And there are germs of what could be a very funny movie here, with multiple setups. There’s also a final performance by the late, great Jill Clayburgh as Annie’s mother Judy. In the final twenty minutes, the film settles into some honest human emotion that almost makes the trip worth it. But for me, there simply isn’t enough funny stuff or human material to make up for what feels like an endless series of uncomfortable and only fitfully amusing situations. The aforementioned bridal toast goes on so far past the point that it becomes a chore to watch. The aftermath of the Brazilian lunch is simply gross past the point of wanting to see this kind of thing in a movie. (I’m not worried about spoiling that for anyone…) Overall, the movie runs a good half hour past the time that would have been effective – and that’s just the theatrical version. The unrated version runs another 6 minutes, almost completely made up of even grosser and nastier material. I can understand if fans of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph or Judd Apatow want to see this film, but I can’t recommend it to anyone else. The best I can do is suggest a rental if casual viewers are interested. People who are already fans of the movie, on the other hand, will want to purchase this, given the massive amount of material included on the disc.
Bridesmaids has been released simultaneously on Blu-ray and standard definition, as of September 20th. The Blu-ray has everything from the standard DVD, and adds high definition picture and sound, along additional bonus material. Both releases include two cuts of the movie and a group commentary track which can be heard on whichever cut you watch. The Blu-ray release actually includes the DVD release on a second disc within the packaging.
VIDEO QUALITY 4/5
Bridesmaids is presented in a 1080p AVC 2.40:1 transfer that presents fleshtones and the multiple costume fabrics, skin textures and environments quite well. The bridal shop in particular benefits from the depth of detail, and the closing wedding ceremony shows great detail in the costumes and sparkles and great black levels.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
Bridesmaids is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in English, as well as standard DTS mixes in Spanish and French, and an English DVS track. As with most Apatow Productions comedies, most of the emphasis is in the front channels for the dialogue. But the surrounds do come to life with some atmospherics and with the usual music cues. (One of my favorites here was a female cover of the Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun”)
SPECIAL FEATURES 3/5
The Blu-ray presentation of Bridesmaids comes packed with materials, as is the norm for Apatow Productions. There’s an extremely generous array of deleted and extended material, as well as a 30 minute making-of piece and a group commentary track. The packaging also includes the DVD release so that you can compare the materials for yourself. A digital copy is available online via pocket BLU or via a code included in the packaging.
Commentary with Director Paul Feig, Co-Writer Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper – (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD AND BLU-RAY) (HEARD ON BOTH CUTS OF THE FILM) This is not one of the more successful commentary tracks I’ve heard, mostly due to the overwhelming number of people in the room. It’s a scene-specific affair, with all seven people attempting to comment on the movie at the same time, which mostly results in crosstalk, giggling and general cacophony. There are some interesting moments if you can sit long enough to get to them. Early on, the group admits that scenes were shot and improvised multiple times and ways (as is typical of Apatow movies) so that there were many versions of each scene and performance from which to choose. Some would call this a matter of having many options. The nearly 2 hours of alternate and deleted materials on the Blu-ray attest to a more scattershot approach. In any case, this is not an easy commentary to follow unless you’re a committed fan of the cast.
Gag Reel (9:41, 1080p) – Nearly ten minutes of blown takes are included here. I AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD AND BLU-RAY) can’t say that there were any major moments here. An abbreviated version of this is included on the DVD edition.
Line-O-Rama (12:13 Total, 1080p) – This usual feature of any Apatow DVD release presents multiple ad-libbed alternatives to the various laugh lines included in the movie. This is actually presented in two parts with a “Play All” function. An abbreviated version of this is included on the DVD edition.
Made of Honor: Behind The Scenes of Bridesmaids (31:43, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This half-hour featurette covers the making of the movie, including interviews with the cast, director Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow. Footage is included from the set and from the extensive improve rehearsals done before production began. The backstory of Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s work is traced from their experience with the Groundlings 7 years ago. There’s some good stuff here – but I cannot help my shock at the lack of recognition of the work of Jill Clayburgh, whose final performance this was. (It’s unbelievable to me that the best the filmmakers could do is have the group commentators clink their glasses in her honor and then make a comment about her being a good sport to do the role – and yet there is no discussion about her impact on Wiig or the others in playing the roles she did during her career.)
Blind Date With Dave (5:21, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This deleted scene covers a blind date between Annie and Dave (Paul Rudd), which winds up on thin ice, in a manner of speaking. The end of this scene is probably the funniest moment in the movie – but it unfortunately never made into the finished film.
Dave-O-Rama (1:45, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This is a brief Line-O-Rama for Paul Rudd’s improvs, some of which are funnier than others..
Deleted Scenes (8:57 Total, 1080p) – Three deleted scenes are included here, the third of which is presented three different ways. There’s nothing particularly crucial here. An abbreviated version of this is included on the DVD edition.
Extended & Alternate Scenes (50:03 Total, 480p) – Nearly an hour of extended and alternate scenes (14 in total) are included here in standard definition. Some of this material is included on the DVD edition.
Roommates (18:32 Total, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This is a collection of additional material featuring Annie’s creepy roommates, including Welcome Home (1:37), 3 Deleted Scenes (5:52 Total), 3 Extended & Alternate Scenes (9:52 Total) and a mock Oo-Laka Juice Commercial (1:11). The packaging indicates some of this can be found on the DVD edition, which may indeed be so – I couldn’t find it but I confess I wasn’t looking that hard.
Cholodecki’s (23:22 Total, 1080p) – This is a collection of material involving the horrible jewelry store where Annie works, including 3 Deleted Scenes (5:28 Total), 2 Extended & Alternate Scenes (15:32 Total) and 2 mock Commercials (2:22 Total). One of the commercials is included on the DVD edition.
Drunk-O-Rama (4:21, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – Here’s a collection of improv material from Annie’s drunken fit on the airplane.
Pep Talk (2:41, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – Here’s a collection of improv material from Annie and Helen’s violent tennis match.
Annie vs. Helen (7:29, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – Here’s a collection of improv alternates specific to the various clashes between Annie and Helen throughout the movie.
Hold On (4:31, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This is the complete performance of Wilson Phillips’ song, as done by the artists in the closing wedding sequence.
My Scenes – The usual Blu-ray bookmarking feature is available here, allowing the viewer to set their own bookmarks throughout the film.
BD-Live - This Blu-ray includes access to Universal’s BD-Live online site, allowing for the viewing of trailers online.
pocket BLU – This Blu-ray includes the usual pocket BLU functionality, enabling viewers with appropriate laptop, iPad or smart phone integration to remotely control their Blu-ray player and access some of the bonus content from the separate device.
DVD Copy – A second disc is included in the package, holding the standard DVD of both cuts of the movie. It contains the movie presented in standard definition in an anamorphic 2.40:1 picture with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in English, Spanish and French (448 kbps) as well as the English DVS track. The commentary is included, as are abbreviated versions of the Gag Reel, Line-O-Rama, Deleted Scenes, Extended and Alternate Scenes, and one of the Cholodecki commercials.
Digital Copy – Instructions are included in the packaging for downloading a digital copy of the movie to your laptop or portable device. The instructions include a deadline of February 25, 2012 for activation.
Subtitles are available for the film and the special features, in English, Spanish and French. A full chapter menu is available for the film.
IN THE END...
Bridesmaids, is not a movie for everyone. Fans of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph will likely enjoy it, as will fans of the Apatow Productions manner of filmmaking (longer comedies with extensive improvisation and raunchier sensibilities). More casual fans will likely find this rough sledding. I have to admit that the Blu-ray is a handsome package if you’re a fan of the movie – having this much alternate material to sample would be a feast if I were more of an admirer. The Blu-ray also comes with solid picture and sound. On a technical level, this one is a great release. I just wish the movie appealed to me more.
Kevin Koster
October 4, 2011.
