Anna Daniels
Bridesmaids was a knockout comedy hit in 2011, raking in over $169 million domestically and another $119.2 million internationally, which is pretty damn good for an R-rated romantic comedy. That kind of success and the warm reception from both critics and audiences has resulted in some demand for a sequel over the years. But while director Paul Feig appreciates the love for the movie from fans, he’s not necessarily too keen on putting one together just for the hell of it, and he has a good reason.
Speaking with Collider in a recent interview, Paul Feig discussed the possibility about making a Bridesmaids sequel, but first he addressed what makes the first movie work so well beyond being hilarious. Feig said:
“Everybody thinks they want a Bridesmaids sequel, and it could be fun, but I always have to say this: Bridesmaids works-you remember all the comedy stuff, that was great, but the reason that movie worked is because it was about Kristen Wiig’s character who was a very confident person before the movie began who has this total crash because her bakery goes out of business and everything falls apart in her life.
So we meet her and she’s a disaster. She’s desperately trying to hang onto this one thing, which is her friendship with Maya Rudolph’s character, and that takes her through the fire. That’s why all this stuff happens, because she’s just acting out and trying desperately to save things, and by the end she heals herself, as much as you can. That’s what you latch onto in that film.”
Bridesmaids isn’t good just because of the hilarious jokes and outstanding improvisational skills of the entire cast. The movie works so well because it has characters you can relate to and a dynamic between them that feels genuine and fun. A comedy is nothing without a good story and a reason to care about the characters. Paul Feig knows that, and he added:
“So to do a sequel, I think you’re basically just gonna have to have a funny wedding. And I’ve seen those movies a million times and some of them are good and some of them are like okay whatever. It’s obviously up to Kristen, she’s the keeper of the keys on that, but it would have to be something that you can emotionally engage in again and not just go, ‘It’s Megan’s crazy wedding in the Bahamas!’ and all kinds of hijinks happen. That could be funny, but I just think you need more for a movie to be great.”
You have to give Paul Feig credit for not wanting to simply cash-in on the success of Bridesmaids for an unnecessary sequel. Too many times studios get a successful comedy and they try to capture that same formula again in sequels, and it rarely works out as well (see The Hangover trilogy). I think it’s possible that a Bridesmaids sequel could be great, but I also think there’s no need to force it. If inspiration strikes, then maybe Paul Feig can reteam with co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo and make it happen, but until then, we can be satisfied with rewatching the original.
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