Rebel Wilson is funniest within a well-shaped ensemble comedy. We value her physical timing and willingness to be rude, but even her blunt confidence cannot rescue a film that has given her little to work with.
Fi1m perspective
Rebel Wilson's characters tend to say the rude thing without looking embarrassed by it. Their sexual confidence is part of the joke, and she is willing to play broadly enough that nobody misses it. We like that lack of fuss, though a film still needs to give her something to do beyond being outrageous.
The move from Australian television and sketch comedy to Brynn in Paul Feig's Bridesmaids (2011) put that broad comic style inside a sharp ensemble. Feig gives the performers room to misbehave, without losing the warmth that makes their competitive friendship worth following. We recommend it readily, with reservations about scenes that run long and a romance that slows the comedy. It is a useful introduction to Wilson because she is part of a cast with several ways of being funny, rather than responsible for sustaining the whole evening.
Pitch Perfect (2012) made that confidence the basis of a recurring character: Fat Amy, the outspoken member of an a cappella group. Physical timing and improvisation matter to Wilson's work here as much as the lines. The films continued through 2017, giving her a more prominent place in musical comedy. It is an apt setting for a performer happy to make herself conspicuous.
Cats (2019) shows how much depends on the people arranging the performance around her. We were relieved by Wilson's Jennyanydots: the broad comic turn gave us a break from the wearying succession of songs. Her variety-show playing fits the occasion, but Tom Hooper's muddled staging and the restless cutting make the musical hard work. The screenplay by Hooper and Lee Hall gives the numbers too little connection. Wilson provides a welcome interruption; she cannot supply the missing story.
Her first feature as director, the musical satire The Deb (2024), returns to Australian comedy. For her directing, we would want the same discipline she needs from anyone else: a reason for each joke to be there. Start with Bridesmaids for the ensemble, then Pitch Perfect for a larger helping of Wilson.
Biography
Rebel Wilson is an Australian actress, comedian, writer and producer. Born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds on 2 March 1980 in Sydney, she graduated from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003 and began her career in Australian television, appearing in the comedy series Pizza (2003–2007) and The Wedge (2006–2007). She wrote, produced and starred in the musical comedy series Bogan Pride (2008).
Wilson gained international recognition for her role as Brynn in the 2011 film Bridesmaids. She is best known for playing Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017). Other notable film roles include appearances in Jojo Rabbit (2019), Isn't It Romantic (2019) and Cats (2019) as Jennyanydots. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales.
