Bridesmaids

Image by csztova via Flickr

Some of you may remember me as that “crazy movie guy” from 2010. Well just when you thought I had gone away, I’m back. I was going to write a novel in my blog instead this year but have since come to realize that was not the thing for me to do. If you want to read all about it click here http://mickgee2.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/what-week-is-it-again-already-hmmmm/ to read my “failed” novel blog.

But enough living in the past. Today is a gift that’s why they call it “the present”

I went to go see a movie this past weekend. <crowd cheers>

Voice from the back row, “it’s about time you lazy a$% movie hack!”

Thank you for that my loyal loveable lightfearing lemmings I am glad to be nack in my natural habitat. It’s like slipping on an old comfortable pair of Levi’s shrink-to-fit 501 button fly jeans. Ahhhh, that’s the stuff! So this week, Against my better judgement, I went to see Bridesmaids. Now it was not becuase I thought the movie would be subpar. No. It was because I was going to walk into a chick flick alone.

Guy from the back row “Gasp!”

I will admit that I felt very exposed in a theater full of mostly women and a few couples, where you could see the guy was just there so he would have a  place to sleep that night. As I walked past some of the fellas to find my seat, and saw the look in their eyes, I thought to myself as I looked at them and gave the requisite male chin up that says Hey dude, I’m a man too, “I know exactly what you’re doing and I understand and approve…at least you have a woman. I’m going to have to go home and apologize to my wife for not calling to get a babysitter lined up so she could join me. So as it turns out I may not have a place to sleep tonight. Enjoy the film” Or something like that. It’s amazing what men can communicate to one another with a “look”

So I found my seat and settled in for what I heard would be an entertaining and funny movie (even if it’s target audience was 30-40 year old chocolate addicted women) As the previews started and ranged through a series of relationship movies that would certainly make it into my wifes netflix queue, I had never heard of any of them. The funny thing is I bet you if I were to ask my wife about these movies right this minute she would walk over and pull the book for each of them off the shelf and tell me how she read them all 3 years ago and can’t believe that they are finally making them into movies. Ya, just thinking about makes my testosterone curdle.

I was surprised at how many people came into the movie late this week. The great thing is that I am a large man and many of the nice timid women coming into the theater, in realitive darkness, gave me a wide arc and dared not sit anywhere near me. This was perfect, so when I laughed a stuff because, as a man I found it to be stupid, all the women in the theater would not simultaineously shush me like my grandmother used to during church. So I stretched out, put my bag of popcorn on the empty seat to my right then situated my beverage in the cupholder to my left and one by one began savoring the m&m’s I love so much. You know I almost wish that I had bad gas at that moment. With so much empty space around me I could have “deflated my whoopie cushion”, “boken wind” or “changed the barametric pressure”  all movie long and no one would have noticed. But instead I watched quietly until the previews were over.

Guy from the back row,  “what is THAT smell? Christ almighty! Take it outside or at least send up a flare first. Have mercy!”

Me, “What? Why is everyone looking at me? Hey buddy, he who smelt it dealt it”

Yes this was my only defence and no it doesn’t work very well…

Now the main feature began. First let me say how much I have laughed at Kristin Wigg during her time as part of the SNL cast. She has a way of creating a character and really making it special and memorable. Oh yes and FUNNY. Remember “tiny hands singing sister from Lawrence Welk“, “Target Lady”, “Gilly“, “Homeschool Mom who swats at imaginary things in the air”  But she also has some acting ability beyond just the character roles. I hope she gets more serious oppotunities AND keeps making movies like Bridesmaids.

So I am going to get right ot it. This is basically a story about 2 best friends and their relationship. Additioanlly their relationships with the men in their lives and in particular about the wedding and the activities surrounding the wedding of Kristin Wigg’s best friend played by Maya Rudolf, also an SNL allumni. This really is a sweet story with heart and turmoil. But I loved it so much that I don’t really want to give anything away. I would rather say, Good date night movie, good “I need to laugh” movie, Good movie. I recommend you see it. The only warning I will give is that it is sometimes crude and irreverent. So if you are not ‘down with that’ now you know.

I want to say something that I think is very important here. This is NOT an SNL production. In fact it may be one of the first really great movies featuring a SNL cast member that was not an attempt to take a 5 minuute sketch from SNL and try to stretch it into 90 minutes. This is original and fun and funny and crude and I loved it. In fact I loved it so much I found myself laughing out loud right along with the ‘ladies’ in the theater. And for a brief moment I felt a kind of kinship with them. I wondered if this was what “getting in touch with your feminine side” was all about. Then I was struck by another thought. “what if some of the women watching the movie with me are gay?” then I was hit upside the head with yet another thought as I slowly turned to see the women sitting behind me were holding hands, “does this mean that I might be gay?” then a different thought popped inside of my head… it was about my wife and it confirmed that I was in fact VERY straight. Thanks honey!

My wife from down the hall, “Are you writing about me in your blog again?”

Me, “Why do you ask sweetheart?”

Wife, “Because I want to be sure that you don’t cross the line and share too much information again – remember the last time?”

Me, “Yes dear…” (thinking too myself) how does she know I am writing about her? Does she have some king of trojan horse keystroke tracking virus installed on my computer? Hmmmm.

So I went back to laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoying this movie. Yes it is a chick flick so grab your homegirls and roll out to the movies. If you are a guy and your lady says, “you owe me one” why not take her to see this? You can score points with your woman and check to see how gay you might be. I’m just sayin’. It worked for me.

So that’s it for this week. It feels good to be back.

Until next time… I’ll be watching