Bridesmaids: Situational Satire

“Bridesmaids” is filled with over the top situations. They go to the full extreme of whatever the scenario could be and then some. As Critchley describes it, the ordinary is made extraordinary and the real is rendered surreal. This can be seen within the movie in such parts as when Annie, Lillian, Becca, Rita, Megan, and Helen all go out to eat at a very suspicious restaurant before they go to try on and decide the bridesmaid dresses they will be wearing at the wedding. The build up for this obviously seems to be a treacherous one, but the actual outcome is completely unforeseeable.

By the time we, the audience, is introduced to the bridesmaids shop and banter between Annie and Helen subsides, a much more pressing matter occurs. Suddenly they all become violently ill and what Critchley describes becomes obvious in this seen. The script of the movie dares to put such an obtuse and unbelievable scene, and suddenly the realistic movie takes a turn to the surreal and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. It is sudden and hard hitting to the audience and unbelievable which brings humor.

Critchley also dives into what is called Reactionary Humor. This kind of humor reveals what is repressed, and ultimately reveals us. Sigmund Freud coined, ‘a return of the repressed’, which he serves to mean revealing a person that we would much rather not be. For the audience, this person is Annie. Her confidence is entirely dependent on her sexual endeavors with men and their approval. She had a business that failed and when it did, her late boyfriend dumped her. She seems to be losing her best friend to a woman who is richer, more successful, and prettier than her. And she goes from living with two crazy roommates to living with her mother. Annie’s character is funny because she allows the audience to feel better. Annie gives the audience someone to point and laugh and say, “I am so glad that is NOT me,” or, “At least I’m not her!” Kulka tips his hat to this theory in his discussion of The Superiority Theory. This says that the one providing the laugher is perceived as inferior and by laughing, we are meeting the realization that we are superior to the one providing that laughter.

In Kulka’s “Incongruity” he explains that jokes and humor ride a very thin line. When a character seems to be in a problematic situation, it is in a way that is humerous, not serious. For example, back to the scene where the bridesmaids are violently ill, we are not worried for their health. Although it could be turned into a very serious situation, it is not. It is a catalyst for laughter. And the audience is left questioning, “How are they going to get out of this situation?” We are looking for the resolve of this situation, rather than a genuine worry or concern.