Bridesmaids appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Given the film’s length and all the extra content, I feared the worst, but this was a surprisingly strong SD-DVD.
For the most part, sharpness looked good. At times, wider shots tended to be a little soft, but those examples weren’t terribly intrusive. Much of the film appeared pretty accurate and concise. No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge enhancement remained minor. Source flaws also failed to create problems.
In terms of colors, Bridesmaids tended to stay with a natural palette. Hues took on a light golden tone at times, but that stylistic choice didn’t overwhelm. Instead, the colors appeared pretty clear and concise. Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. Overall, this was a pleasing presentation.
I thought that the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of Bridesmaids seemed fine but it didn’t excel because of a lack of ambition. Like most comedies, the movie featured a limited soundfield that strongly favored the forward channels. It showed nice stereo spread to the music as well as some general ambience from the sides.
Panning was decent, and the surrounds usually kicked in basic reinforcement. A few scenes opened up better, though, such as those on a plane. However, most of the movie stayed with limited imaging.
Audio quality appeared good. Speech was natural and distinct, with no issues related to edginess or intelligibility. Effects sounded clean and accurate, with good fidelity and no signs of distortion. Music was perfectly fine, as the score and songs showed positive dimensionality. This track was good enough for a “B-“ but didn’t particularly impress.
The DVD comes with many extras, and it includes two editions of the film. We get the theatrical cut (2:04:52) as well as an unrated version (2:10:14). How do the two differ? Some of the changes come from minor additions to existing scenes, but we do get some bigger alterations. We see a creepy sequence with Annie’s roommates in a bathtub, and there’s a long segment that lets us view Annie’s attempt to go on a blind date.
That one accounts for more than half of the extra footage on its own. It’s cute but not great. The same goes for the other sequences. While they can be enjoyable, the movie was already too long theatrically; making it run another five-plus minutes doesn’t help.
Next we find an audio commentary with director Paul Feig, writer/actor Kristen Wiig, writer Annie Mumolo and actors Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy. All of them sit together for a discussion of cast and performances, characters and story, deleted/altered scenes, sets and locations, and anecdotes related to real-experiences with concepts featured in the film.
If nothing else, this commentary boasts a lot of energy, as it keeps rolling from start to finish. It includes some fun stories and clever twists like Feig’s decision to field some questions from fans on Twitter. I also like the fact they recorded the commentary before the film opened; it’s fun to hear them discuss it without the knowledge of how well it’d do.
But do we learn much from this track? Not really. The most extensive notes relate to improvised moments and alternate bits. Otherwise, we get a lot of laughing and chatter without much real content. It’s a likable commentary but not one with a ton of good information.
A Gag Reel goes for three minutes, 47 seconds. While it includes some of the usual goofs and giggles, it also throws in quite a few alternate lines. That makes it more fun than most collections of this sort.
A staple of movies from under the Judd Apatow umbrella, Line-O-Rama provides a 12-minute, 10-second compilation. It shows alternate lines delivered for various movie scenes. The majority are pretty darned funny, so this is a delightful collection of bits.
More cut footage appears next. We get three Deleted Scenes (7:51) as well as five Extended and Alternate Scenes (8:39). Among the deleted scenes, “Blind Date with Dave” (5:19) is especially fun to see; it shows Annie out with a character played by a pretty big star. It’s not a great sequence, but the presence of that actor makes it a surprise the scene got the boot. “Bon Jour” (0:34) just delivers another reminder of how close Helen and Lillian became, while “Last Chance” (1:57) reprises Annie’s failed jewelry store career. Both are entertaining and would’ve been fine in the final film – or would’ve been fine in a final film that wasn’t already way too long.
As for the extended/alternate scenes, we find “Meet Gil & Brynn” (2:41), “Judy on Barb” (2:43), “Ham Slacks” (0:44), “Becca Pukes Again” (0:20) and “Split the Rent: Breasts” (2:01). The first and last ones give us more of Annie’s oddball roommates and are fun. I’m surprised “Pukes” doesn’t pop up in the extended cut, while “Slacks” is in the alternate edition, which makes its appearance here confusing. “Barb” is okay but not material that would’ve been great in the final flick.
For something unusual, we see a Cholodecki’s Commercial. It goes for one minute, seven seconds as it shows a fake ad created for the movie’s jewelry store. It’s creepy and amusing.
The disc opens with ads for Fast Five, Bring It On: The Musical, and Honey 2. No trailer for Bridesmaids appears.
Bridesmaids proves that “chick flicks” can be raunchy, too. While it lacks the general crudeness of male-oriented siblings like The Hangover, Bridesmaids does give us something different. It’s too long and too sentimental, but thanks to a great cast and some clever writing, it’s funny enough to succeed. The DVD provides surprisingly good picture quality along with decent audio and some enjoyable supplements. Bridesmaids delivers a pretty likable comedy.
