10 best female friendships in film from the past decade
By Shaun Stacy
Annie, Lillian, Helen, Megan, Rita, & Becca (Bridesmaids)
Perhaps the original raunchy female comedy that crawled so that others could walk, Bridesmaids has been hailed as one of the greatest comedic endeavors of all time. With a cast that includes the likes of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Maya Rudolph, we’d expect nothing less. Bridesmaids follows the story of best friends Annie (Wiig) and Lillian (Rudolph), who weather life’s ups and downs together as best friends — that is, until Lillian gets engaged.
Lillian asks Annie to be her maid of honor, of course, leading the down-on-her-luck Annie to suffer through a series of misfortunes throughout the film. Rose Byrne stars as the sophisticated Helen Harris, one of Lillian’s bridesmaids who throws her an engagement party that sets off a chain of events that pit Annie against Helen for the affection of Lillian. Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey play Becca and Rita, respectively, and McCarthy plays the unfiltered yet loyal Megan.
The laughs never stop in this riotous comedy, from the food poisoning that occurs at the worst time (while dress shopping) to the high-altitude antics of a drugged-up Annie. Annie and Helen eventually find common ground as Lillian goes missing the day of her wedding. However, at the heart of the film is a love story between best friends who learn to allow others to become part of that story.