More than Bridesmaids

Movie Title: Bridesmaides
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Released: May 13, 2011


Hoot Rating: I give this movie the rating A Heck of a Hoot. The movie follows Annie (played by the talented Kristen Wiig), a failed baker whose bakery business went under, as she tries to be a supportive Maid of Honor for her best friend, Lillian. All the while, Annie's own life is falling apart. At first, she is overjoyed by her best friend since childhood's good news and is ready to be there for Lillian, even though she is stuck in a sex-only relationship with her jerk of an ex-boyfriend. All seems to be going well with the wedding until Annie meets Whitney, who turns out to be a new best friend of Lillian. An immature I'm-a-better-friend-than-you competition ensues with each trying to outdo the other and prove that they know Lillian best. Annie takes the blows a little harder than Whitney because her life keeps getting worse and worse due to her financial situation--a struggle Whitney doesn't have in her perfect, rich life. As the plot develops, slowly a gap emerges between Annie and Lillian's friendship. Her relationship with Lillian is not the only one to suffer. She snuffs a potentially successful relationship with a police officer, Rhodes, that she meets when he pulls her over because her break lights being out. He brings some happiness to her life until he tries to encourage her to start baking again--a sensitive subject for her. She pushes him away, hurting him as a result. Annie's problems seem to be numerous and unfair, but just maybe she has the power to make her life better--something she starts to believe that after a pep talk from a dynamic character in the film and fellow bride's maid.

The Critical Eye: I have to say, I was delightfully surprised by this movie. When I first saw the previews for this movie, I was torn. I love Kristen Wiig on SNL, but it looked like just another romantic comedy about a wedding and the humor looked like it would just be gross. I finally decided to see it when I looked up some information on it and found that Kristen Wiig co-wrote the screenplay. I feel this movie further shows just how talented Kristen Wiig is. Whoever said that women cannot write comedy has obviously not read or seen anything by the women that come out of SNL. This movie is proof that women can write comedy and write good comedy. I do feel like the movie starts out a little unsettling. It shows Annie having sex with her jerky ex-boyfriend. Yeah, it successfully shows that the couple are not a match, and there is actually not a lot of nudity in this scene but I think it was a bit of a crutch. It seems like something a writer writes into a script when they want to break people's preconceptions of it. With this it seems that she knew people would assume that a woman would do something more tame, but I think the movie could have stood on it's own without opening that way and it still could have broken those preconceptions. But, that is just me being picky. The rest of the film is wonderful. It has the right balance of humor and character development. I found myself relating to Annie. The situation is something that I am sure many people have struggled with. I know sometimes I have felt like I was losing my friends to other friends. It also carries a good message in the end that we cannot blame our lousy lives on others. We have control over our choices and can fight for what we want. This movie is also different from other wedding romantic comedies because it focuses mostly on Annie and her struggles. The wedding is just one small, humorous part of it.

The Bottom Line: If you do not like romantic comedies, do not see this, because no matter how much I think this movie is worth seeing, it is a romantic comedy. If you do not like movies with bathroom humor, I would say you probably will not like this movie, but you could just look away during that scene (it is in the preview). Overall, this was full of laughs and really develops the relationships. I think it is very worth seeing.

Classic Movie Monday: Sabrina

Title: Sabrina
Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart
Director: Billy Wilder
Year: 1954
Black & White



Summary: You might be familiar with this story line because, much like many wonderful, classic movies, it has been remade. The main character is Sabrina Fairchild. She lives above the garage of an extensive estate with her father, a chauffeur for the rich Larrabee family. All her life Sabrina has harbored a crush for the youngest Larrabee, David. This crush has worried those who care about Sabrina most. She is sent away to Paris to attend cooking school and maybe fall out of love with David, who doesn't even know she exists. As she is away, David is all she can think of at first, but then she begins to grow and thrive. She returns home more stylish than ever and finally attracts the attention of David, who she happily goes back to being infatuated with. A relationship with a chauffeur's daughter is not exactly what the Larrabee family has in mind for David, so the oldest Larrabee brother, Linus, works on breaking the two apart. Linus appears to be a heartless business man who is feared by many. With this kind of personality, Linus should be able to easily break the pair up. Linus attempts to woo Sabrina and it works. The only problem, though, is that Linus could end up being wooed, too.

The Stars: Audrey Hepburn plays Sabrina in this classic romance. Known for her style, she played many iconic roles including roles in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, and Funny Face.Opposite her is Humphrey Bogart who plays Linus Larrabee. He was known best for his role in Casablanca and other dramatic roles. This unlikely pair make the romance so much sweeter.

Why Should You Watch This? This is a classic romance that is full of wonderful surprises. It is not much of a comedy, as there is more drama with this romance than humor. There is good character development between the main characters and you can really see the relationship between Linus and Sabrina grow. You also see Linus' growth because of his association with Sabrina. A bit of advice, though, would be to try to ignore the age gap. Don't get caught up in the fact that Linus is much, much older than Sabrina and just enjoy the relationship.

Hopefully you enjoy this film and let me know what you think! Also, if you would like, after watching the original, watch the remake and compare them. Happy watching!

Classic Movie Monday: Top Hat

Title: Top Hat
Stars: Fred Astaire, Fred Astaire, Fred Astaire...
Music By: Irving Berlin
Genre: Hollywood Musical
Year: 1935
Black & White



Summary: This is a classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Musical. Fred Astaire plays song and dance man and bachelor Jerry Travers. Late one night in his producer's hotel room, Travers, naturally, starts to dance. His tapping wakes the sleeping Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers). When Dale goes up to the room to request silence for her sweet dreams, Jerry becomes infatuated. Dale plays hard to get, though. They run in to each other again and hit it off, but then a case of mistaken identity leads Dale to believe that Jerry is a married man. He does not know that she think so, and he continues to pursue her. He hot and cold behavior baffles him, but he is in love. This confusion, however, could prove detrimental to Jerry's hopes.

The Stars: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers did ten movies together. The pair were known for their elegant song and dance numbers. The brains behind all of it, though, was Fred Astaire. He was a work-a-holic and perfectionist. He was singing and dancing since a very young age, starting out in his family's act on stage. He is still considered one of the greatest dancers of all time and there is not a list of best musicals that does not include Fred Astaire. Ginger Rogers...she's nothing special.

Why Should You Watch This? Musicals are some of the most happy films in existence, particularly the Hollywood Musical. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals stick to a very specific formula, so you know what you are going to get is pure happiness. The music is by Irving Berlin, one of my favorites, and the dances are magnificently choreographed. The plot is a little bit contrived, but if you just go with it, it is quite fun and entertaining. It is one of my favorite Fred Astaire musicals.

I hope you enjoy this film, too. I love Fred Astaire, if you could not already tell. He is wonderful to watch dance and his acting is just right for this comedic story. Let me know what you think!

Classic Movie Mondays: Bringing Up Baby

Title: Bringing Up Baby
Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant
Director: Howard Hawks
Genre: Screwball Comedy
Year: 1938
Black & White

Summary: In this screwball comedy Cary Grant stars as Dr. David Huxley, a paleontologist who is one bone away from finishing a dinosaur for his museum and soon to be married to assistant Alice Swallow. He is also hoping to get a one million dollar donation for his museum from a client of Alexander Peabody's. He is enjoying a golf game with Mr. Peabody, trying to put his best foot forward, when things start to go wrong. A woman, Susan Vance played by Katharine Hepburn, hits his ball. He runs after her and tries to explain her mistake, but she will not understand it and talks in circles bringing much frustration to Huxley. He gets his ball back and heads back to the game only to see Susan take his car. From that point on, Susan and David seem to keep running into each other and mishap after mishap occurs. Eventually, David is forced to work with Susan because of a leopard named Baby. On his wedding day, David assists Susan in transporting Baby to her Aunt's country house, quite frantically to his dismay, but not hers--she has her own agenda in keeping him busy on the day he is to be married. The situation continues to decline for David when he makes a bad impression on Susan's Aunt Elizabeth, who just so happens to Mr. Peabody's client interested in making the donation to the museum--but David has a plan to not let this ruin the museums chances, as long as Aunt Elizabeth does not know his real name. So, thanks to Susan, David becomes Mr. Bone. Susan continues to lead David on a wild leopard chase that ultimately leads to a very odd situation.

The Stars: Katharine Hepburn made her comedic debut in this film. Before this, her experience was basically dramatic acting. Many of her films, including the now classic and loved Bringing Up Baby, did not do well in the box office, earning her the label 'box office poison.' She continued with comedy though and redeemed her career with the second film she did with Cary Grant, called The Philadelphia Story. Cary Grant, best known for his work with Alfred Hitchcock also did extensive dramatic acting , but he is best in his comedic roles as well. The two together made three delightful movies that are super enjoyable.

Why Should You Watch This? This is a hilarious romantic comedy. It is full of mishaps that some find frustrating, but each one is brilliant. There are a lot of good, memorable lines and Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grand work well together. The beginning starts out slow, but things pick up once you understand the character of Susan and see what she is trying. It really shows a woman in control because she really is the driving force for the plot. The supporting cast is also wonderful. I think this is a good classic comedy to watch because it is representational of a lot of what was going on in Hollywood at the time with it's style. As I was typing the summary, I realized what I never had before--there is a lot of sexual imagery in the story that is subtle. That was just the movies way of working around the strict Production Code which controlled the amount of sexuality in films to keep them clean and pure. Many movies tried to work around this code and they got quite creative, as this plot shows.

Once again, I hope you enjoy this film and let me know what you think! This is one of my personal favorites and I love Katherine Hepburn with Cary Grant and recomment The Philadelphia Story, and Holiday, too.

Classic Movie Mondays: Rear Window

Title: Rear Window
Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Year: 1954
In Color

Summary: "Rear Window" is a classic Hitchcock suspense film about a photographer, L. B. Jefferies (James Stewart), who is confined to a wheelchair for weeks due to an accident. He is cared for by a nurse, Stella, played by Thelma Ritter and by his girlfriend who wants nothing more than to settle down with him, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly). Due to the extensive confinement, Jeff finds a not so common hobby in spying on the neighbors. He gets their schedules down to a 't'. He is warned against it numerous times by Stella and Lisa, but he continues to allow his peeping to occupy his time. Finally, he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has killed his wife. He explains his theory to Lisa, Stella and a friend, Detective Doyle, but all of them insist that this is just a side effect of the heat and his confinement. But is his imagination just running away with him or is it possible that a killer is in the neighborhood?

The Stars: In this brilliant masterpiece directed by the king of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart stars as L. B. Jeffries, a thrill seeking photographer. James Stewart worked with Hitchcock several times and even if you have not seen many classics, you might know him as George Baily from "It's a Wonderful Life," which is a Christmas classic that is played on television every year around Christmas, several times. James Stewart was known for his boy scout persona and 'awe shucks' charm. He is suited for this role because he brings to life the idea of an average guy thrust into a situation most people think will never happen to them. Also starring in this film is the beautiful princess, Grace Kelly. I am not sure that you will really know her from anything, but she brings elegant sex appeal to every role she plays. She also does not allow herself to be the typical stereotype of women this is too often portrayed in older films. She shows a brilliance in her roles and was also a favorite of Hitchcock's.

The Director: It is a shame that some people do not know who Alfred Hitchcock is anymore. He was a master of suspense. He knew how to keep the audience on their toes and had a specific vision for every film he brought to live. At one point, he was one of the most recognizable directors because he made a cameo appearance in every one of his movies. His most recognizable work would be "Psycho," a Halloween classic that you may have seen. His movies are able to capture suspense in ways that many modern directors have yet to achieve.

Why should you watch this? This is my absolute favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, and I am a fan of of Hitchcock. I have seen almost all of his films. Many of my friends do not even know who he is and that is just a shame. If you like suspense, you will love this. There is something for everyone in this film. There is suspense and Grace Kelly for the guys and suspense, romance, and James Stewart for the girls. I love James Stewart and he is a delight in this role as is Grace Kelly, who is gorgeous and has a fabulous wardrobe in this film. Once again I would says this film is not too dated, yet it is older than my first Classic Movie Monday pick. It is, however, still in color (a am working my way to black and white, though, so get ready). You should also watch it to see if you can spot Hitchcock's cameo appearance. It is quite fun to try and spot him, just make sure you know what he looks like, first.

I hope you enjoy this movie, so let me know!

Classic Movie Mondays: The Odd Couple

Title: The Odd Couple
Stars: Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon
Director: Gene Saks
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1968
In Color


Summary: "The Odd Couple" is a comedy about two friends, Oscar (Walter Matthau) and Felix (Jack Lemmon). Oscar is divorced and hosts a poker night every week for some friends. One poker nigh his best friend, Felix, does not show up and Oscar gets a phone call from Felix's wife saying they are getting a divorce and that Felix said he was going to kill himself. When Felix arrives at the poker night, Oscar tries to cheer him up and offers him shelter. They move in together because Felix has nowhere else to go. This sets things up for them to be the odd couple and conflict ensues between the Oscar the slob and Felix the neat freak. This is a touching comedy about friendship full of comedic goodness and touching moments.

The Stars: You might know Walter Matthau as the grumpy Mr. Wilson from "Dennis the Menace," but he has had a variety of different roles, including some dramatic roles. His dramatic acting is what makes him so good at comedic roles because of his deadpan delivery. Jack Lemmon might be familiar to you because of "Tuesdays with Morrie." He also has comedic and dramatic roles and plays the pathetic, sympathetic, nervous type very well. I find him to be quite lovable.

Why should you watch this? I just recently discovered this movie and fell in love with it. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon work well together and it is full of intelligent comedy. It is not full of cheap comedic attempts. Instead, the characters a funny without being aware that they are funny. I am starting out easy for you, so this is in color and not as dated as some other classic movies. It also has some actors that I think you would be more familiar with. I hope you choose to watch this and let me know what you think.

Happy Watching!

Don't know where to find it? If you have Netflix, it is available to watch instantly, or you might be able to find it at Blockbuster or your local Library.

Introducing: Classic Movie Mondays

It has been brought to my attention that fewer and fewer people are taking it upon themselves to watch classic movies. By "classic movies," I don't mean the movies that people go watch in the theater and say, "that's going to be a classic." I mean old movies. The movies that inspired modern filmmakers and those that started it all. That includes black and white movies. I feel very passionate about this. I have known many people that just will not watch black and white movies. I know some readers of this will probably feel that way, so I just want to express my feelings on this subject. I think it is unfair to exclude an entire collection of films simply because they are not in color. Believe it or not, color was not always an option just like HD was not always an option. It took a lot of work to perfect it. Just because a movie is not in color does not mean that it is not good. They are worth watching and after time, you don't even notice it anymore. I have seen so many black and white films that I have to check the DVD case to remind myself if it is color or black and white. I also feel that when films are black and white, they allow you to focus more on character development and on the story. If you can learn to appreciate this, then you can open your world up to a whole lot of wonderful films.

For some, black and white is not the problem. Some people just do not know where to begin with classic movies because they don't know what actors are good or what movies are worth seeing. This is why I decided to create Classic Movie Mondays. I will (hopefully) lead you in the right direction. Like with modern movies, you have to find the actors you like, because not everyone will like the same actors. I am a huge fan of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, James Stewart, Cary Grant, and Katharine Hepburn, but not everyone is going to like these same actors. Because of this, I will try to get a good variety of movies.

Here is how Classic Movie Mondays will work:

Each Monday I will do a post about a Classic Movie. I will give you basic information on the movie, a summary, why I like it and a bit of information about the stars and director. I will also let you know if it is in black and white or color, because some will be in color. Hopefully, it will be enough information for you to decide if you want to watch it or not. If you choose to watch it, let me know how much you liked it and why, or let me know if you did not like it and why. I hope this will encourage more people to watch classic movies and come to love them the way I do.