---
title: "Bridesmaids"
year: 2011
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/bridesmaids"
fi1m_id: "bridesmaids"
imdb_id: "tt1478338"
tmdb_id: 55721
wikidata_id: "Q837264"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 15
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.735028+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bridesmaids (2011)

Directed by Paul Feig · 2h 05m · MPA R · Comedy, Romance

## Identity

Bridesmaids

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/bridesmaids
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** bridesmaids
- **IMDb ID:** tt1478338
- **TMDB ID:** 55721
- **Wikidata ID:** Q837264
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/55721, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q837264

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 81 from 15 reviews

*In a sentence:* Being a bridesmaid looks manageable until somebody else turns out to be better at being your best friend

> Kristen Wiig is painfully funny in this warm, rude comedy about competitive friendship. Paul Feig gives a sharp ensemble room to misbehave, though several scenes run too long and the romance slows things down.

## Synopsis

Annie (Kristen Wiig) is an anxious maid of honour whose efforts to do right by her friend become entangled with jealousy and status envy. Wedding preparations bring together a group of women, including Lillian (Maya Rudolph), Helen (Rose Byrne) and Megan (Melissa McCarthy), with different ideas about how to behave. As friendship turns competitive, Annie’s tendency to sabotage herself makes an already demanding role harder. Romance adds another complication. Paul Feig directs, with Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper also in the ensemble, from a script by Wiig and Annie Mumolo.

## Review

Paul Feig’s *Bridesmaids* is a funny, often painfully recognisable comedy about the difficulty of being happy for a friend when we are unhappy ourselves. It earns a warm recommendation, with a warning about scenes that take too long to finish. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s script gives its anxious maid of honour, Annie, enough unpleasant impulses to make her interesting. The wedding provides plenty of opportunities to behave badly, and Feig lets his cast make use of them.

Wiig is excellent at making Annie’s jealousy understandable without asking us to approve of it. Her comic timing allows the sadness to register: the effort of seeming pleased can be almost as funny as the failure to manage it. Maya Rudolph’s Lillian gives the friendship the ease it needs for Annie’s anxiety to hurt, and Rudolph deserves more credit than the size of her laughs might suggest. We believe these women matter to each other, which makes the competition over friendship worth following.

Rose Byrne makes Helen’s civility feel aggressive, a useful skill in a film where being nice can be a form of competition. Byrne is precise enough to make a small change of emphasis count, and she gives Wiig a formidable opponent without turning Helen into a cartoon. Melissa McCarthy’s Megan is broader, coarser and reliably funny. McCarthy commits so fully to the character’s lack of embarrassment that the performance holds its own beside Wiig’s anxious self-consciousness.

The bridal-shop sequence tests how much indignity the film can inflict before we stop caring about the people involved. We laughed at the mess, then felt a little guilty about enjoying Annie’s discomfort. Wiig keeps her embarrassment recognisable even when the comedy gets filthy, and Feig mostly remembers that these women will have to deal with one another after the joke. That attention to what humiliation does to a friendship gives the ruder material more purpose than mere permission to be rude.

Robert D. Yeoman’s cinematography is at its most useful when we can read the competing reactions within the group. Few images stay with us independently of a performance, but the faces are worth watching. The respectable bridal-shop setting, part of Jefferson Sage’s production design, makes the gross-out material more mortifying. Michael Andrews’s music makes less impression than the voices, a reasonable order of priorities in a comedy this dependent on delivery.

The patience becomes a problem in Michael L. Sale and William Kerr’s editing. Several routines continue beyond their strongest laugh, and the romantic subplot adds to the feeling that Feig is reluctant to leave any agreeable material behind. At 125 minutes, the film asks us to spend too long waiting for the next sharp exchange. The performers remain good company, but tighter cutting would have made their work funnier and spared Annie some repetitive humiliation.

The romance is less interesting than the question of how people remain friends when they feel unequal. That is a useful change of emphasis for a wedding comedy, a genre too often satisfied once the right couple has been identified. Feig gives the women permission to be tiresome without assuming that we will stop caring about them. Watch it with friends who can admit that being pleased for someone occasionally takes an effort.

*Fi1m score 82, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Bridesmaids a sharply observed, warmly performed comedy whose crude set pieces have believable friendships behind them. Praise centres on Kristen Wiig’s timing and her ability to make an anxious, self-defeating character sympathetic without softening her behaviour. The ensemble earns broad approval, with Melissa McCarthy repeatedly singled out for her comic energy. The reviews also value the attention paid to rivalry, status envy and the awkward business of sharing a close friend.

The reservations cluster around length, overextended routines and romantic material that slows the comedy. Opinion is more divided on how comfortably the gross-out scenes sit alongside the emotional story, though the spread remains largely positive. Screen Daily finds the result patchy despite Wiig’s sympathetic performance. Vulture raises a different objection: it finds plenty to laugh at, but questions whether the supposedly female perspective is too eager to please men.

## Straight answers

**Is Bridesmaids worth watching?**

*Bridesmaids* is worth watching for anyone who likes rude comedy with real feeling behind it, and we scored it 82. Kristen Wiig is painfully funny as an anxious maid of honour whose jealousy we understand without being asked to approve of it. Several scenes run past their best laugh, and the romance slows the film, but the ensemble remains good company.

**How long is Bridesmaids, and what is it rated?**

*Bridesmaids* runs 2h 05m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and romance film.

**Where can I watch Bridesmaids in the US?**

*Bridesmaids* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Bridesmaids, and is it suitable for children?**

*Bridesmaids* is not violent or frightening, but it is a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not for children. The comedy is filthy in places, with a bridal-shop sequence that inflicts a good deal of physical indignity on its characters, and the language and adult content suit older teenagers and adults rather than families.

**How does Bridesmaids compare to Muriel's Wedding?**

*Bridesmaids* is the broader and more crowded comedy, giving a sharp ensemble room to misbehave, while [*Muriel's Wedding*](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding) is a blunter and more painful film built around one lonely heroine. Both understand how loneliness distorts judgement, but the earlier film cuts deeper and shifts tone more roughly; choose Feig's for a night of laughing with friends, Hogan's for something sadder.

**What should I watch after Bridesmaids?**

After *Bridesmaids*, try [*Muriel's Wedding*](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding) (1994, Fi1m 81): Another wedding comedy that understands how badly loneliness can distort good judgement. Then [*Toni Erdmann*](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann) (2016, Fi1m 86): Family embarrassment pushed past comfort, with enough tenderness to justify the ordeal; and [*Booksmart*](https://film.one/film/booksmart) (2019, Fi1m 81): Two friends discover how much their closeness depends on excluding everyone else.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Radio Times**, Karen Krizanovich (5/5): The critic describes it as a heady, hilarious romp with smart scripting and direction, praising the ensemble cast, Wiig's timing, and standout supporting turns. It highlights outrageous scenes and the film's overall appeal. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4rf9si/bridesmaids/)
- **Little White Lies**, Kevin Maher (2/4/3): The critic praises the film's originality in exploring female friendships and rivalry beyond typical Apatow fare, highlighting sharp commentary and standout scenes. Complaints focus on excessive length, musical montages, and a weak ending. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bridesmaids)
- **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (4/5): The review calls it a triumph that successfully adapts gross-out comedy for women, centered on a remarkable lead performance and believable emotional core. It notes some forced scenes and excessive length as minor flaws. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bridesmaids)
- **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): The review finds it a patchy comedy with hallmarks of Apatow productions, noting decent laughs from ensemble set pieces but criticizing overextended scenes. Wiig is praised for a sympathetic performance blending sadness and humor. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/-bridesmaids/5026859.article)
- **Empire**, Anna Smith: The critic finds Bridesmaids a standout female ensemble comedy that balances relatable characters with smart laughs and side-splitting farce. It singles out the gross-out humor in the bridal shop scene and the airplane antics for praise while noting some pacing issues from added romance. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bridesmaids-review/)
- **Evening Standard**: The critic deems Bridesmaids hugely enjoyable, fresh and rude, both touching and funny throughout. It praises the set-piece comedy routines, especially the bridal shop scene, and Wiig’s central performance while noting the film ultimately settles into rom-com territory. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/bridesmaids-review-7425467.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey: The critic calls it a rare R-rated romantic comedy from a female perspective that is real, raunchy, and funny, crediting Wiig and the ensemble for its appeal. It highlights the handling of women's relationships and the fearless slapstick performances as standout elements. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-bridesmaids-20110513-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager: The critic praises how it deftly navigates platonic-pal sentimentality while reveling in gross-out comedy, highlighting Wiig's central performance and the female-centric focus distinct from Apatow's male-led films. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bridesmaids/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds Bridesmaids a terrifically funny, smart and tender ensemble comedy that pulls off the trick of being brutal and gentle at the same time. Wiig's performance as the anxious maid of honour and the film's focus on competitive female friendships and status envy are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/23/bridesmaids-review)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy: The critic finds it an uneven but emotionally involving human comedy with empathetic appeal and a candid take on feminine foibles, praising Wiig's performance while noting inconsistent tone and overlong runtime. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bridesmaids-film-review-184504/)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby: The review finds the film lurching and uneven with some unfunny episodes but credits its showcase of talented performers, especially Melissa McCarthy's lewd comic energy and Kristen Wiig's shift to a more realistic role. It notes the director's affection for the actresses as a saving grace. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/23/the-better-life)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: The critic praises the film as an unexpectedly funny comedy that lets its female characters be raucous and honest without solely mocking other women. It singles out the strong ensemble performances and focus on female friendship for particular praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/movies/bridesmaids-with-kristen-wiig-maya-rudolph-review.html)
- **Total Film**, Neil Smith: The review calls Bridesmaids a gleefully crude and funny addition to the Apatow canon that proves women can deliver raunchy comedy. It highlights Kristen Wiig’s performance and Melissa McCarthy’s standout turn as the most memorable elements. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/bridesmaids-review/)
- **Vulture**: The review calls it hilarious as a mix of chick-flick and raunchy comedy of humiliation but finds it too bifurcated and a female perspective too eager to please men. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2011/05/movie_review_bridesmaids.html)
- **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (5/5): Wiig gives a scream of a performance as a self-destructive maid of honor in a deliriously funny film that subverts chick-flick expectations with sharp group dynamics, toilet humor, and emotional weight. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a323619/bridesmaids/)
- **/Film**, Peter Sciretta (90/100, inferred): The review declares Bridesmaids a confident mix of laugh-out-loud funny, smart, raunchy, and heartbreaking that transcends the chick flick genre. Wiig's career-best performance and the strong set pieces are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/514526/paul-feigs-bridesmaids-transcends-chick-flick-genre-sxsw-review/)
- **NME**, Owen Nicholls (90/100, inferred): It is the funniest and most universal film of the year thanks to the joyous central friendship between Wiig and Rudolph and excellent comedy set-pieces that make it far more than a female Hangover clone. [Read](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/bridesmaids-film-review-771743)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A-): The critic praises the film for balancing hilarity and heart with a truth and ugliness to the lead character's self-sabotage. Kristen Wiig's deceptively complex performance is highlighted as a revelation. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-kristen-wiigs-bridesmaids-is-a-winning-balance-of-hilarious-heartfelt-20110510/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): The critic praises the rich characters and tremendous performances, especially from Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, calling the film heartfelt, witty, and damn funny overall. It notes issues with the third act dragging the main character too low and some pacing problems in the romantic subplot, while singling out the strong ensemble and balance of humor and heart. [Read](https://collider.com/bridesmaids-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (4/5): The critic calls it the R-rated comedy to beat, praising it as a funny, crude film about female friendship and a 'ho-mance' rather than a typical wedding movie, with strong performances especially from Wiig and the ensemble. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bridesmaids-review/)
- **HeyUGuys**, David Sztypuljak (4/5): The critic finds Bridesmaids a very funny and silly comedy that delivers laughs throughout its runtime. Kristen Wiig's performance and timing are singled out as awesome and perfectly cast. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/sxsw-bridesmaids-review/)
- **Paste**, Ryan Carey (80/100, inferred): The review highlights that Bridesmaids succeeds as both a comedy and a full cinematic experience with strong performances and story, particularly praising Kristen Wiig's brilliance and the surrounding hilarious cast. It notes some unnecessary slapstick sequences and a crass food-poisoning scene that tosses out dignity, while singling out its emotional depth and staying power as a very good film. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/bridesmaids/bridesmaids-review)
- **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The film delivers a female-filtered take on Judd Apatow-style gross-out comedy that leaves viewers laughing hard and often. It singles out the graceful, mortifying street scene as a standout set piece that exemplifies the movie's smart, character-driven humor. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/bridesmaids-when-ladies-retch-they-do-it-gracefully-27327/)
- **Eye for Film**, David Graham (70/100, inferred): The review calls Bridesmaids polished and appealing with genuine heart and hilarity that should appeal broadly. It singles out the excessive length as a main drawback that makes the film exhaustingly bloated. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bridesmaids-film-review-by-david-graham)
- **The Skinny**, Jamie Dunn (★★★): It breaks the recent cycle of poor wedding comedies by prioritizing comedy talent over looks, with sharp one-liners, strong set pieces, and heartfelt moments from Wiig and Rudolph, though it is slightly too long. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/bridesmaids)

## Details

- **Director:** Paul Feig
- **Director:** Paul Feig
- **Writer:** Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
- **Cinematography:** Robert Yeoman
- **Editor:** Michael L. Sale, William Kerr
- **Music:** Michael Andrews
- **Production design:** Jefferson Sage
- **Costume design:** Christine Wada, Leesa Evans
- **Producer:** Judd Apatow, Clayton Townsend, Barry Mendel
- **Cast:** Kristen Wiig as Annie; Maya Rudolph as Lillian; Rose Byrne as Helen; Chris O'Dowd as Rhodes; Melissa McCarthy as Megan; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Rita; Ellie Kemper as Becca; Jill Clayburgh as Annie's Mom
- **Runtime:** 2h 05m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 13 May 2011
- **Genres:** Comedy, Romance
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2011)
- **Budget:** $32 million
- **Box office:** $288 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyI5ihZNJXU

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming
- Disney+: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2012: Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Muriel's Wedding* (1994), Fi1m 81: Another wedding comedy that understands how badly loneliness can distort good judgement. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding.md)
- *The Women* (1939): Social rivalry and female friendship, with sharper elbows and considerably better manners.
- *Toni Erdmann* (2016), Fi1m 86: Family embarrassment pushed past comfort, with enough tenderness to justify the ordeal. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann.md)
- *Booksmart* (2019), Fi1m 81: Two friends discover how much their closeness depends on excluding everyone else. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/booksmart.md)
- *Happy-Go-Lucky* (2008), Fi1m 83: A warmer comedy about the effort involved in staying kind to difficult people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/happy-go-lucky.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/bridesmaids