"Bridesmaids" is a story centered on Annie's (Kristen Wiig) difficulties planning her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. Annie is at rock bottom in her life from the beginning of the film - her bakery went bankrupt and so did she, she shares her apartment with two creepily close siblings who read her diary, she's hooking up with a mega-douche, and Lillian seems to have a new best friend who is constantly challenging Annie's role as maid of honor. Things get even worse from there as she begins to feel more competition from the new friend, Helen Harris III, loses her jewelry store job for insulting a young girl looking to buy a "BFF" necklace (telling her to "have fun having a baby at her prom"), as well as her apartment, her mega-douche, and her best friend, all while trying to win back the actually nice guy she met.
"Bridesmaids" has all of the elements of a usual chick flick - there are chicks doing something typically associated with being female, which in this case is obviously being involved in a wedding. There's romance found and lost, then found again. But the way "Bridesmaids" differs from this equation is vital. These women swear, burp, rabble rouse, and even demolish a bridal shop with their food poisoning. They are not "ladylike."
In his book On Humor, Simon Critchley argues that humor and comedy can serve a greater purpose than releasing nervous energy or acknowledging inferiors - it can be a liberation of an individual's wills and desires. Critchley states that, "what goes on in humor is a form of liberation or elevation that expresses something essential to...'the humanity of the human,'" and emphasizes the joke should work to change the situation that it occurs in. Furthering this argument, Critchley elaborates that, "the incongruities of humor both speak out of a massive congruence between joke structure and social structure, and speak against those structures by showing that they have no necessity."
Critchley explains that "the humanity of the human" can be explored through scatological humor (or as he coins it, "souls and arseholes"), as it reminds us of our constant state of both being a body and having a body, what he calls physical and metaphysical. We as human beings are unique in our ability to exercise mental capabilities that stretch beyond our current environment despite our physicality. Scatological humor allows us to acknowledge and laugh at the weirdness of our bodies.
"Bridesmaids" does depend on some scatological humor. One of the trademark scenes from "Bridesmaids," is when the crew gets food poisoning in a bridal shop and soils the place in a very graphic, albeit hilarious, way. Many people think this scene is hysterical, and many think it's disgusting. While it's certainly valid to find scatological humor in general to be foul, it's been said enough by a large amount of people that this scene is particularly gross or unfunny because they're female, and those gender roles need to go. This movie not only brought the comedic double-standard into the public sphere, but also showed that women are allowed to be crude, and can be funny while doing it. In this way, "Bridesmaids" succeeded in Critchley's goal of humor as liberation.
In addition to a fair amount of bodily functions, "Bridesmaids" offers a plethora of swear words, including the ultra-taboo and offensive "c-word", as well as sexual innuendos at a level which doesn't appear in any other "chick flick" or romantic comedy. "Bridesmaids"'s success at the box office and award shows (as well as in the hearts of millions), accomplishes what Critchley argues is the central mission of humor - to elevate and liberate. Hopefully thanks to Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and their "stone-cold pack of weirdos", we'll be able to move past the scatological double-standard. "Bridesmaids," pushes the envelope and proves that yes, women can be just as crude as men, and just as funny while they're doing it. As far as this equality in scatological humor goes, I'm sure Annie would agree with me that "it's civil rights!"
Here's one of the funniest scenes from "Bridesmaids":
"Bridesmaids" does depend on some scatological humor. One of the trademark scenes from "Bridesmaids," is when the crew gets food poisoning in a bridal shop and soils the place in a very graphic, albeit hilarious, way. Many people think this scene is hysterical, and many think it's disgusting. While it's certainly valid to find scatological humor in general to be foul, it's been said enough by a large amount of people that this scene is particularly gross or unfunny because they're female, and those gender roles need to go. This movie not only brought the comedic double-standard into the public sphere, but also showed that women are allowed to be crude, and can be funny while doing it. In this way, "Bridesmaids" succeeded in Critchley's goal of humor as liberation.
In addition to a fair amount of bodily functions, "Bridesmaids" offers a plethora of swear words, including the ultra-taboo and offensive "c-word", as well as sexual innuendos at a level which doesn't appear in any other "chick flick" or romantic comedy. "Bridesmaids"'s success at the box office and award shows (as well as in the hearts of millions), accomplishes what Critchley argues is the central mission of humor - to elevate and liberate. Hopefully thanks to Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and their "stone-cold pack of weirdos", we'll be able to move past the scatological double-standard. "Bridesmaids," pushes the envelope and proves that yes, women can be just as crude as men, and just as funny while they're doing it. As far as this equality in scatological humor goes, I'm sure Annie would agree with me that "it's civil rights!"
Here's one of the funniest scenes from "Bridesmaids":
I certainly agree with your view that this movie challenges some if not many of the gender stereotypes that surround women, but you say that the humor in this movie liberates and elevates...my question is who do you think is liberated and elevated? Women? Critchley says in the beginning of his book that humor is not accomplished when one of the participants does not understand the "rules" or "set-up" of a joke, and so I would think that only those who understand the humor of this movie can be liberated or elevated in the way you discuss. Of course not EVERYONE is but I definitely think that not only women can experience this from Bridesmaids. I find it pretty great that the movie portrays women in the way that it does. For me it makes their behavior not just a "man" thing but basically a human thing. If I don't normally show this behavior it doesn't make me any less than a man which is an important part of my identity.
ReplyDeleteI think Justin has some good points. Who are you wanting to say is liberated and elevated due to the film? I think he is right in saying that the behavior shown in "Bridesmaids" is a good representation of comedy on all levels. I don't think it is women specific necessarily. Although, I do like that this film shows women as comedic.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that we're focused on gender within Bridesmaids. When I think of the humor within this movie liberating and elevating, I don't think of it in terms of gender. I feel like if the humor of this movie is liberating and elevating, it's doing so in terms of liberating us from the idea that our cultural ideals (having money, being classically beautiful, being a success) are not necessarily what will make us happy. I think Annie's evolution throughout the movie is the point that people often miss when discussing this film. I find the film's raunch and crudity to be less about changing gender stereotypes and more about looking at what a mess life is and laughing at it. We are elevated from taking the hardships brought about in life by comedy in this film.
ReplyDeleteMaddie I do agree with you and I suppose I never gave that view much thought. To me though, that seems to be more of a "within the movie" moral. Not that it isn't important! It is as well but the portrayal of women seems to be the thing that critics have focused on. When I think about it I don't feel that the story itself is about women acting outside of societal norms but about exactly the things you described. It is unfortunate that people focus so intensely on the behavior of the women instead of the actual moral of the story, but I suppose this is because gender has become a hot topic for our lifetimes and many people have taken up various debates regarding it.
ReplyDeleteOh but I ask you the same question though Maddie: Liberating and elevating for who? (whom?) For those who have no money, aren't classically beautiful, and unsuccessful?
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