Bridesmaids - Blu-ray Review

4.3 Stars (out of 5)

SynopsisThirty-something Annie (Kristen Wiig) has hit a rough patch but finds her life turned completely upside down when she takes on the Maid of Honor role in her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) wedding. In way over her head but determined to succeed, Annie leads a hilarious hodgepodge of bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to the big event. Buy Now $26.89

Starring:

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Chris O'Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh, Kali Hawk

Director:

Paul Feig

Blu-ray Release Date:

September 20, 2011

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 3.6 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

• Subwoofer - 3.3 Stars
• Dialog - 5.0 Stars
• Surround Effects - 3.0 Stars
• Dynamic Range - 3.5 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1

Dialog is the audio star of this movie and not much else happens. There is a scene on  the airplane where the subwoofer gets some action during turbulence. A few scenes feature some ambient crowd jabbering, automobiles driving by, and engine noise. The room opens up when music is played to help transition between scenes, and makes you realize what's missing. The audio mix could have really utilized more subtle surround sound usage. Even though the dialog performance is perfect and allows all the witty and hysterical banter to go without a hitch, the overall presentation is a little flat.

Video  4.7 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

• Color Accuracy  - 4.0 Stars
• Shadow detail - 5.0 Stars
• Clarity - 5.0 Stars
• Skin tones - 4.5 Stars
• Compression - 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Bridesmaids video performance far outshines its audio presentation. The clarity is crisp enough to see loose hairs, colorful moles, charming freckles, life affirming wrinkles, and details on clothing textures. The color palette is warm, and helps colors pop more without being unnatural. The film grain is light, but the details in dark scenes are what impressed me the most. Hardly any details were lost in the shadows, and no compression issues were visible.

Bonus Features 5.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Feature Commentary - With director Paul Feig, co-writer Annie Mumolo and cast members Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper.
• Line-O-Rama
• Cholodecki’s Commercial - Check out what’s new with Cholodecki’s when you watch the never-before-seen “commercial” from Annie’s jewelry employer!
• Gag Reel
• Deleted Scenes - Tons of deleted scenes, plus a never-before-seen “commercial” for Brynn and Gil’s
• Oo-Laka Juice.
• Extended & Alternate Scenes - Tons of extended and alternate scenes featuring the bridesmaids, the boyfriends, the roommates, Cholodecki’s employees and customers, and the hilarious “stolen” boot camp class.
• Made Of Honor -  Behind The Scenes Of Bridesmaids:  A behind-the-scenes “Making Of” the film featuring Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, writer Annie Mumolo, director Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow, among others.
• Drunk-O-Rama - Featuring Kristen Wiig’s greatest moments on the plane.
• Pep Talk - Featuring Kristen Wiig on the tennis court
• Annie Vs. Helen -  A montage of Bridesmaids frenemies’ – Kristen Wiig’s “Annie” and Rose Byrne’s “Helen” – best and worst moments together.
• “Hold On” Full song performance of Wilson Phillips’ hit “Hold On.”

Movie - 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

It's great to see a movie starring women being very funny. It made me realize that there are very few movies that feature women in a comedy. In fact, I can't really remember a movie starring this many women where men aren't the focus of the film. While I was watching this film with my wife I realized when the women were talking to each other in that woman language that I don't completely understand. It was that covert woman dialect that exists behind the words that men do not automatically notice without training. I had to pause the movie and ask my wife if this woman dialect was actually being used correctly. She squinted her eyes smiled, and nodded her head in confirmation. That's when I knew that this movie was special. I have rarely seen a movie showing women interact in a natural modern setting.

This movie is funny. I laughed out loud several times. It times is was over the top, but I let it slide since it is a comedy. I thought I was tired of potty humor, but this film made it "refreshing" somehow. Melissa McCarthy sells most of the scenes, she kind of reminds me of a female Chris Farley. This film does have a heart as well. Of course it navigates the extremely complex dance of women being friends. However, it also tackles the heavy issues of self respect and adapting to life. I enjoyed watching Bridesmaids and I'm sure I'll watch it again to become more failure with "women dialect". It may come in handy around the house.