It's no secret that I'm a girly-girl. This week's column is admittedly more feminine than usual including a review of "Bridesmaids," tips on how to make a wedding cake martini and the dish on when the long-awaited H&M will open at the Galleria Mall but I don't think anyone is above a little bit of delectable gossip. Let's get right into it.
REEL TALK: 'Bridesmaids'
I have grown tired of hearing that women can't be funny. Unfortunately, up to this point, there haven't been many movies that I can cite in my counterargument.
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You'll be hard-pressed to find a better comedy this summer than 'Bridesmaids.'
Most of the recent "female comedies" depict women as shrill, petty and catty. Take 2009's "Bride Wars" it was painful and embarrassing to watch. We've all had our disagreements, but who would actually go to such great lengths to disrupt their best friend's upcoming nuptials by sneaking into a hair salon and replacing her blonde hair dye with blue, or causing her spray tan to go turbo-orange?
I don't know any women like that. I don't want to, either -- frankly, nobody does. Therein lies the problem.
"Bridesmaids" succeeds where its predecessors have failed: it features talented comedic actresses in a film that is undeniably uproarious and will appeal to everyone. It may be challenging to convince your boyfriend to see a film called "Bridemaids" without him quickly dismissing it as a "chick flick" getting him inside the theater will probably be more than half the battle. Once he's there, however, I dare him not to laugh as hard as he did at "The Hangover," if not harder.
Kristen Wiig's character is one everyone can relate to. Annie's business went bust during the recession and she still has to drive by her boarded-up bakery in her beat-up car on her way to a lunch date that she probably can't afford. She works at a job she hates helping happy couples pick out engagement rings at a jewelry counter -- and barely scrapes by. In order to pay the rent, she has to live with creepy British roommates (one is played by Rebel Wilson, one of the funniest characters in the whole film). The only man in her life is a friend-with-benefits (John Hamm, played to perfection) who can't get rid of her fast enough after he's done with her. While her life continues to become increasingly unbearable, her best friend's is on an upswing: she's getting married and has chosen her as maid of honor. And bridesmaids dresses and bachelorette parties ain't cheap.
Hilarity ensues as the bride-to-be (Maya Rudolph) introduces Annie to her fellow bridesmaids: a prissy newlywed, a harried mom, a tough broad and the ultimate perfectionist, Helen, a constant one-upper who quickly becomes Annie's nemesis. We all know someone like Helen and love to hate her: anything you can do, she can do better and she'll never miss an opportunity to remind you. Each pre-wedding event goes even more disastrously wrong than the last. There are scenes in "Bridesmaids" that will completely gross you out, make you laugh until you cry, and will cause you to chuckle to yourself aloud the next day in the middle of the grocery store and hope that no one noticed.
Hopefully, "Bridesmaids" will pave the way for more funny movies featuring funny girls, instead of the obnoxious, vapid fare we've become accustomed to. Women don't have to simply be relegated to ripping each other's hair out, posing as a pretty accessory, or being the wet blanket preventing the guys from going wild at the bachelor party. We can do comedy just as well if not better. And now, with the help of "Bridesmaids," there's no shortage of proof.
DRINK OF THE WEEK
In honor of "Bridesmaids," my drink this week is the wedding cake martini. My very own recipe aficionado, my sister Hilary Diodato, has recommended her own recipe. For one wedding cake martini, you will need the following ingredients: 1 oz. heavy cream, 1 oz. vanilla vodka, 1 oz Amaretto, 1/2 oz. clear creme de cacao and 1/2 oz. pineapple juice. She writes:
"Wedding cakes are all about pomp and circumstance, and a wedding cake martini should be enjoyed in same frame of mind. Therefore, I vehemently discourage consuming this cocktail out of a naked glass. For the rim, grate some white chocolate wafers or bars using a microplane onto a shallow dish. Moisten the rim of your martini glass with a touch of water, and roll the upside-down glass into the plate of chocolate shavings. Next, pour all drink ingredients into a martini shaker filled with ice, and shake until thoroughly combined. Strain the mixture into your martini glass, and toss in a vanilla pirouette cookie or extra-large white chocolate curls just before serving."
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April Diodato is the OBSERVER Lifestyles editor. Send comments and events to adiodato@observertoday.com
