MovieChat Forums > Bridesmaids (2011) Discussion > I didn't buy Wiig in the role at all

I didn't buy Wiig in the role at all

posted 9 years ago by Jupiter555555
14 replies | jump to latest

I hated the movie, a lot. I found it unfunny and needlessly degrading to women. I understand the self-deprecating humor and enjoy it, but not to the point where it's downright humiliating commentary.

That said, Wiig is far too attractive for the trainwreck character she was portraying. Anyone else feel this way? There's even a line where Wiig hates another woman for being so skinny, the "joke" being that Wiig is "bigger." Meanwhile Wiig--as we saw in the scenes where she's in her skivvies, is just as skinny if not skinnier!!! Soooo that "joke" didn't work at all.

Is it just further proof that even when the role calls for a softer-bodied woman, the actress must still be waif-thin, jokes be damned?

[–] JC_Aliss 9 years ago

First off, attractive women can have problems. Plenty of problems. It's a fallacy that beauty = easy life.

But the weight thing was actually accurate, in that even the thinnest women feel fat an frumpy a lot of the time. It's insecurity, resulting from living in a society that persecutes women for having even five extra pounds. One of my favorite meme jokes is one that says "I wish I was as thin as I was years ago when I thought I was fat."

And Wiig wrote the part for herself so, it really IS her and yes, that makes her right for the part.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

But the weight thing was actually accurate, in that even the thinnest women feel fat an frumpy a lot of the time.

Well then sorry I just don't find body dysmorphic disorder disorder amusing.

It's insecurity, resulting from living in a society that persecutes women for having even five extra pounds.

The execution of the concept came across as more condoning that treatment of women rather than rejecting it.

One of my favorite meme jokes is one that says "I wish I was as thin as I was years ago when I thought I was fat."

Ah yes, "I wish I was as fat as I was the first time I thought I was fat." One of my faves too.

And Wiig wrote the part for herself so, it really IS her and yes, that makes her right for the part.

It just didn't work for me. Agree to disagree.

[–] JC_Aliss 9 years ago

What I like about comedy is that is shows how absurd it is that a skinny woman (ICAM on that fact about Wiig) is made to feel fat. So in that sense it's not that I find dysmorphic disorder amusing, I find the ridiculousness of the world making a skinny woman feel that way amusing (I mean, the joke's on the morons who would call her fat.)

Yes I agree to disagree! Actually I had thought my final statement sounded a little rude; I almost edited it out but figured you could handle it. 

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

the joke's on the morons who would call her fat

That didn't come through to me. It seemed like she genuinely accepted herself as fat.

Oh well. Cheers. 

[–] kolnoaMograbi 9 years ago

Agree and it was so obvious that they gave her limp, lank bad haircut for this reason, but it didn't fool us.

"When you think of garbage, think of Akeem!"

[–] rainbow26 9 years ago

What do you mean "too attractive for the trainwreck character"? Attractive women can't start companies that go out of business? Attractive women can't be treated poorly by a guy? Attractive women can't feel inferior to someone else? Attractive women can't have weird roommates? Annie's beauty had nothing to do with her problems.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

What do you mean "too attractive for the trainwreck character"? Attractive women can't start companies that go out of business? Attractive women can't be treated poorly by a guy? Attractive women can't feel inferior to someone else? Attractive women can't have weird roommates? Annie's beauty had nothing to do with her problems.

I just didn't buy it. She acted like too much of a mess to have such a tight body. That's my perception, you can argue with it all you want..it won't change.

I feel about Wiig's character in Bridesmaids the same way I feel about Julia Louis Dreyfus' character in New Adventures of Old Christine. Too attractive for the role. My personal opinion/perception. It need not make sense to you.

When I think of people who don't have their life together and act all down trodden, I expect them to at least be average in weight.

"I can't find my socks but I sure get my boney butt to spin class 5 days a week!" gtfo.

The problem is Hollywood women all tend to be a size 2, and then they try to portray a widely diversified range of characters and it just doesn't work for me. "here's what a desk job employee would look like..if she were a size 2. Here's what a bible belt stay at home mom of 4 would look like..if she were a size 2." True plenty of desk job employees and bible belt moms are a size 2, but more aren't. And the one-dimensional roles and body types of women in Hollywood are really getting to me lately.

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 9 years ago

I think it's believable with her in the role, don't forget she's 38 but looks 48. With the younger cast members and her best friend looks younger than her, it's understandable she'd be insecure and have a midlife crisis.

Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

don't forget she's 38 but looks 48.

I don't think she looked 48. And even so, maybe they could've at least left out the "jokes" about how much "bigger" she is than the other women...cause she wasn't at all and it just left a lot of us feeling confused.

This is a bit of an epidemic. I've seen similar "jokes" on Modern Family (Julie Bowen is quite thin, thinner than Sofia Vergara, yet made a "joke" about her stepmom being skinnier than her after giving birth to little Joseph,) and on New Adventures of Old Christine (where Julia L. Dreyfus makes "jokes" about "new Christine" being in better shape than her..meanwhile we can see JLD's triceps...) At best, it doesn't work, and at worst it promotes body dysmorphic disorder and either way it's not good. If writers insist on having these punchlines that compare women's sizes, they're gonna have to bite the bullet and hire a size 8 actress every now and then... they can't have it all. Hire size 2 actresses AND have them deliver lines about feeling insecure next to other skinny/fit women.

[–] larsped 9 years ago

Agreed. They should have replaced that line about her weight and made it about her age instead. Much more plausible.

[–] mmitsos-1 9 years ago

I actually lied the mo ie, but I completely agree that Wiig is far too attractive to be portrayed as someone who thinks she's plain, unattractive, and a loser. Her business went bust in the re ession. Big deal. Start a new one in a better neigh orhood.

The scene in which she meets Rose Byrne's character for the first time was very well played by both of them, and Maya Rudolph. Wiig is completely jealous of Byrne, Byrne is very superficial, somewhat co descending, and spoiled with wealth and beauty; and Rudolph represents that archetype who is never jealous, basks in her FRIEND's wealth and beauty, and expects everyone else to behave the same way.

[–] Melissaslist 9 years ago

Agree and disagree. I totally agree that the hollywood version of the ugly duckling is rarely actually ugly or even the slightest bit unattractive. They're only "ugly" enough that by taking off their glasses or having a montage makeover scene they suddenly are magically transformed into beautiful, though anyone with eyes could see they already were beautiful and were only made to appear frumpy. So in that regard I agree with you.

That said; I did not believe that Annie had to be unattractive to be convincing in the role. I don't believe she was meant to be unattractive. Rather she was meant to be someone who lost her business, had to move back with her parent and was having a hard time coping with now losing her best friend who was embodiment of all that she wasn't, glamorous, wealthy and put together (even though she was equally if not more insecure than Annie). Plenty of attractive people have a hard time succeeding in their lives.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

That said; I did not believe that Annie had to be unattractive to be convincing in the role. I don't believe she was meant to be unattractive. Rather she was meant to be someone who lost her business, had to move back with her parent and was having a hard time coping with now losing her best friend who was embodiment of all that she wasn't, glamorous, wealthy and put together (even though she was equally if not more insecure than Annie). Plenty of attractive people have a hard time succeeding in their lives.

It wasn't the business failure or living with her parents that struck me, it was the failed love life (though I agree you can be an attractive female and still fall victim to docuhey guys in real life, but within the context of a film I'm not accustomed to seeing an attractive woman have bad luck in love) AND, more to the point, her constant jokes about feeling physically inferior to her "friend." Not only is the cliche that females are competitive with each other to a nasty degree offensive and counterproductive, it was further problematic to make references to weight when she's the same size as the woman she's feeling threatened by.

Agree to disagree. Just a personal pet peeve one very level. Peace 

[–] Prelude-in-C-maj 9 years ago

Wasn't there only ONE reference to weight, and that was on the airplane when Helen remarked "I'm smaller than you" and the booze and pills wouldn't affect Annie too badly because she's "bigger"?

That was only one weight-comparison joke that Annie responded too with dismay, being that it was clearly a bitchy snip from the Helen character -- something that women in real life DO do to each other, a lot, particularly in contentious rivalries like this one was.

It's not that Annie felt threatened per se by Helen being skinnier, which she wasn't, it's more that she was pissed of at Helen being a bitch with something like that, especially since they're the same size.

And yes, "attractive" women can have sh!tty lives or sh!tty things happen in their lives, and sh!tty choices in men too.

In fact it's the attractive women that can attract the wrong type of guy just because they look good instead of "average." "Attractive" women attract a lot of shallow men who do only want a shallow encounter, rather than real or lasting love. Combine that with a dose of low self esteem from an event such as a business failing and your savings you put into it gone, and there she is, putting up with an unfulfilling fck-buddy set-up.

You have a distorted view of real people's lives and how many things often don't just follow from being "attractive." Self esteem has more to do with what happens in your life, rather than just looks.

Having said all this, I have to say that while Kristin Wiig is a very, very pretty woman in my opinion, she's not drop dead model-gorgeous. I think she's averagely lovely and you're seeing more "attractiveness" in this character than I think was intended. She's nice looking but no supermodel.