"bridesmaids".
i 'd already seen it twice before, but like a diamond in the rough, this sleeper gleams the more it's polished...
except tonight it cut right like a knife...
[and it didn't feel so right...]
a story of a woman's perceived life denouement unfolds upon the screen. her business goes under, her boyfriend dumps her, she lives in a shit apartment with two "personality challenged brits", she's broke as a joke, her fuck buddy's a douche and her newly engaged bff has acquired not only a higher socioeconomic status, but a prettier, richer bff...
her coping skills are pretty miserable. she is self-piteous, defiant, self-centered and judgemental. and it's only after her hissing hurricane meltdown, worthy of the most self-indulgent addict, that she can finally meet her calm.
in helping find her cold-footed bride, she is finally of service, of the heart, not of the self.
but tonight, "bridesmaids" was astounding, not so much for melissa mccarthy's brilliant performance, but for the casual glamorization of drugs and alcohol.
i physically looked away from the champagne toasting scene. stroked maggie's faux, suede ear while they guzzled sangria in the brazilian restaurant. and cringed when someone offered up a xanax as a calming, coping mechanism.
probably the comedic apex of the film is on the airplane with character vignettes flowing as freely as the booze. two female acquaintances can only open themselves up to each other after consuming alcohol; can only explore sexually after becoming drunk. and the lead, annie, is coerced into popping a couple of pills and gulping a scotch to "calm down" and ends up nearly bringing down the house (plane) with her antics.
[funny, no-one was laughing in my house when i acted like that.]
i think the hardest part to watch this time around were the peculiar jabs at aa. the mother who speaks at aa even though she isn't an alcoholic. i found that more offensive than any glamorization of using. this program has helped millions of people rise from spiritual bankruptcy to overabundant serenity and service. i cringed when this gift was minimized into a joke about a great artichoke dip.
[comedy= time + tragedy]
look, i enjoy a good laugh, hell, i need a good laugh; probably more than the next person...and i pray there is a day when i can laugh about being so drunk that i called someone "stove" instead" of "steve".
[but too soon? definitely.]
to see this film through sober eyes scared me.
alcohol is everywhere. and so are addicts.
but so is recovery.
so maybe one day i won't always be just a bridesmaid...
[stressing, messing (up) and second guessing...]
maybe i'll be the bride.
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