BACHELORETTE Review

Most of the criticism I've read of "Bachelorette" is that none of the characters are likable. What people need to get over is the preconception that unlikable characters don't have anything to offer. Consider Lena Dunham's "Girls," the HBO series portraying a group of young women who aren't always making the best life decisions. Even "Bridesmaids," last year's female comedy sensation which launched Kristen Wiig to A-list status and reopened the conversation on women in comedy, has characters who aren't always likable. And yes, drawing parallels between this new female-centric comedy out of Sundance and "Bridesmaids" is unavoidable, much in the way the Judd Apatow-inspired male perspective comedies dominated the multiplex in the early to mid-2000s. This is simply the new wave of that, this time subverting our expectations on female behavior and relationships. "Bachelorette" is not so much "Bridesmaids 2" as it is the meaner, darker and more twisted stepsister of "Bridesmaids," very much its own independent and devilishly delicious creation from first-time writer/director Leslye Headland.

Coming off the coattails of her self-destructive dramatic performance in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia," Kirsten Dunst goes for a much different -- yet still self-destructive -- approach here playing Regan, the blonde ice queen in charge of her best friend's wedding. Regan is also the lead in her high school group of girlfriends, the Californian free spirit Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and the loose cannon retail girl, Katie (Isla Fisher), who serve as bridesmaids in the wedding. The friend getting married is Becky (Rebel Wilson), the fourth member of their high school group who was probably only unintentionally included as someone to mock. She's the fat girl among skinny, catty bitches who still bring up her high school nickname, Pigface. There are rampant 90s pop culture references perhaps to remind us what age these ladies are having graduated in '99 but still act like children.

Gena and Katie's plans to party like animals come to a screeching halt when Becky tells them they'll just be enjoying champagne and ice cream in the hotel room. That doesn't stop them from talking Regan into some partying of their own full of booze-drinking and cocaine-snorting. A surprising amount of cocaine-snorting. They bust out Becky's wedding dress only so Regan and Katie can shove themselves in it and tag Becky in a Facebook photo. The dress rips sending the completely trashed trio on a wild goose chase through middle-of-the-night Manhattan to try to fix their self-satisfying, bad karma-induced screw-up. By the end of the movie, the wedding dress receives more damage than any one should in a single lifetime.

This creative vehicle of needing to find an emergency dress replacement or repair allows freedom for Headland to create scenes of well-orchestrated that are chainsaw-sharp with acidic writing and humor. The girls get easily sidetracked and end up going to the groomsmen's bachelor party to a strip club, which results in possibly the most unflattering and unsexy strip club scene in recent memory. Among the men are Trevor (James Marsden) looking to tame Regan's ferocious energy; Clyde (Adam Scott), Gena's ex-boyfriend from high school who she has effectively avoided like the plague until now; and Joe (Kyle Bornheimer) who's the only one not OK with referring to Katie simply as getting with "that." With these men do come romantic possibilities, but it's the women who are crashing their party.

Isla Fisher is worth noticing as the perpetually wasted Katie who's a walking wreck in tight skirt and heels, a woman unrelenting in playing up her bimbo slut persona. Lizzy Caplan's Gena is introduced to us in a monologue on a plane about how she uses her oral sex skills to manipulate men. It's a scorcher, and Caplan owns the role giving us someone who hides her insecurities behind a veneer of hardened anger. And then there's Dunst who's portrayal of Regan is raw, real and nothing short of nightmarish. Her arrogance hits a high note when she utters this vapid complaint about her overpriviliged life: "I did everything right. I went to college. I exercise. I eat like a normal person. I've got a boyfriend in med school, and nothing is happening to me."

These girls are never likable, but their personalities soften and are given a humanity, and they're certainly not monsters. They do want to fix their friend's wedding dress. They're even, dare I say it, relatable, forcing us to hold a mirror up to our own imperfections. This is especially true in the film's closing motto from Regan, as she pronounces "fuck everyone" to muster up Becky's courage in forgetting what people think and to just walk down the aisle. Who hasn't felt that before?

Archive: "Hairspray" (2007)

"Hairspray" has such high spirits and so much energy that it not only transforms your mood while you're watching it but also for the rest of the evening. Everything about this musical is so happy and upbeat, and the entire time you're watching it, you'll have a big, goofy grin on your face. It's one thing when a movie has the ability to do this, but then it's really something for it to actually be good. It's a welcome surprise and a big hit.

Based on the 2002 Broadway show, which is based on the 1988 John Waters film, people who avoid musicals aren't going to have their minds changed, but this adaptation is still just too good to deny. What's best is that it isn't trying to compete against A-list musical adaptations like "Dreamgirls" or "Chicago," which gives it an unpretentious charm. Set in 1962, it follows the dream of a bouncy butterball of a girl named Tracy Turnblad. She is played by newcomer Nicole Blonsky whose exuberance and smiling face fills the screen from the opening song, "Good Morning, Baltimore." She can sing, dance, and with an assured comfortableness with herself, carries the entire rest of the show.

Each day after school, Tracy and her best friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes), race home to catch their favorite local song and dance TV show. It stars kids they know from school, including the slick stud every girl wants, Link Larkin (Zac Efron from "High School Musical"); lucky for Tracy, her courageous charisma is enough to attract the eye of Link as he entirely ignores his current girlfriend, Amber (Brittany Snow). This blonde bombshell gets a run for her money when Tracy is allowed onto the show thanks to the open-minded host, Corny Collins (James Marsden). The show's mean-spirited manager and Amber's mother, Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), is disturbed by the direction in which the show is taking, and subsequently, the direction in which all of society is headed.

The TV show is segregated, showing all white kids with only a single day each week called "Negro Day." The black kids dance a hell of a lot better than anybody else, and Tracy sees this firsthand when she's sent to detention; it turns out that it's the hip place where all the black kids strut their stuff. This is when Tracy is faced with the real issue, one that is much bigger than winning the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" crown. Things especially start erupting due to a budding relationship between Penny and the coolest black in town, Seaweed (Elijah Kelley). Leading the fight for integration is the once-a-week host, Maybelle, played wonderfully by the strong-voiced Queen Latifah; she absolutely shines during her musical numbers. Many of the songs pack a meaningful punch, including her rousing "I Know Where I've Been."

Having so many musical numbers tightly strung together works to the movie's advantage because then there's never a dull moment. Each and every tune is catchy and memorable, and frankly, a lot more fun than "Dreamgirls." They effectively advance the story, moving from one distinctly fresh location to another. The choreography, too, is creative and exhilarating. It's all very hip and has the look of the 60s, including everybody's outfit and just the overall atmosphere in itself. Everything has a bright high-polish finish, and the equally exaggerated characters fit perfectly. There's just a hard to describe magic about it that is hard to describe, which makes it such a feel-good experience.

With other music-related movies in his past experience, John Travolta is the perfect choice to play Tracy's overweight protective mother, Edna Turnblad. It was a bold move for him, but guess what? He does an awesome job and plays Edna with an honest sincerity and sweetness. After the initial reaction, you no longer see John Travolta in drag underneath a big fat suit, but rather, an enormous woman with a huge heart to match. Here's a woman who hasn't stepped outside in 11 years because she's so embarrassed of herself, but when she finally does during the great number "Welcome to the 60s," the emotions are in full-swing. Watching Travolta bounce around in that body wearing a pink glitter dress is certainly a sight to see. There's also Christopher Walken as Edna's hubby Wilbur, and the musical number "You're Timeless to Me" between them is another priceless moment.

And if all of that doesn't suck you in, the finale of "Hairspray" is bound to get those feet tapping, maybe even for those who are usually close-minded about musicals and their super gay way. Either way, "You Can't Stop the Beat" closes the big Hollywood musical perfectly, leaving us on a gloriously climactic high note. This one's surely got the beat.