BACHELORETTE

US, 2012, 87 minutes, Colour.
Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lilzzy Kaplan, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Adam Scott.
Directed by Leslye Headland.

All the reviewers and many of the bloggers have been talking about women behaving badly (and they are certainly not wrong) and the influence of The Hangover and Bridesmaids (although in fact, Bachelorette was a play written some years before the release of Bridesmaids). Women reviewers have been more benign in their estimates of the humour and the vulgarity of Bachelorette.

Raucous is one of the common denominator words to describe the screenplay. It is a useful word, indicating loud, boisterous and crude. It usually indicates a screenplay that is full of sexual references and innuendo, but also of quite explicit and frank treatment of sexual behaviour. And that is true here.

The ugly duckling (Rebel Wilson doing her comic large girl comedy routines but with far more pathos and sympathy than her bridesmaids) is about to be married (unbelievably to her friends) to a tall, dark, handsome and rich fiancé. This brings out the worst in them, even as they enviously celebrate: hens’ night, stripper, club, destroying the wedding dress and desperately trying to repair and clean it in time.

They are very unlikeable. Kristen Dunst (apparently breaking free from her more serious roles) is snobby and bitter. Isla Fisher gives new meaning to ditzy. Lizzy Caplan is a promiscuous, drug-taking type, with some of the more salacious dialogue, is actually the most interesting and sympathetic of the three. And then, the boyfriends are men behaving badly and stupidly.

There are some funny moments, but, overall, there is some bitterness in the harsh portrait of the bridesmaids and a question whether they can better themselves or are in their own created ruts.