Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

A Farewell to Kristen Wiig

I didn’t stay up to watch Mick Jagger and the SNL gang bid farewell to cast member Kristen Wiig last night, but I watched clips this morning. I have to say that I’ve always hated it when my favorite comedians “graduate” from the show to pursue their movie careers; it makes me feel abandoned. But I’d do the same thing in their position. The grind of doing a weekly show must get old after awhile, so why shouldn’t they leave?

And Wiig so deserves the success she’s sure to find with a broader audience. She’s so talented, whether she’s doing an impersonation of a well known figure or creating a character out of whole cloth. She’s even funny when she’s reading bad poetry.

But her breakout role was, of course, the one she wrote for herself in “Bridesmaids.” I still laugh every time I see her in this scene.

I’ll miss her on SNL, but I’m a fan and can’t wait to see what she does next.

 

This Article Really Depressed Me

And I’m still depressed, even though it’s been two days since I read the article.

It was in Sunday’s New York Times and it was film critic Manohla Dargis’ take on the fact that women are a disappearing breed in the movies nowadays and that they’ll be even more invisible this summer. Although I know Dargis is right and I spend way too much time bemoaning the scarcity of women on the big screen, it still bummed me out to read her piece.

For example, her first paragraph:

“If you’re a woman who roared, snorted or sniggered at “Bridesmaids,” if you like watching other women on screen, you should see it again. Because that hit comedy written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo and directed by Paul Feig, turns out to be one of the few occasions this summer when you can enjoy a movie about and with women released by a major studio.”

What does this all mean for screen adaptations of my novels? Nothing good. I’ve been told by any number of “industry people” that rom coms are over, that movies for women must be raunchy like “Bridesmaids” or they won’t get made, that stories about women don’t sell overseas, that women will go to see men in films but men won’t go to see women.

How did we get here? And more importantly, how do we get out of here? I loved Nora Ephron’s movies and I could watch appealing actresses fall in and out of love with the men of their dreams every night of the week. Am I a disappearing breed too?

 

 

 

Thanks To Those Who Saw "Bridesmaids"

I wanted the movie to succeed for the sake of the FEMALE DRIVEN COMEDY and it did, surpassing expectations. From the LA Times:

“Bridesmaids,” the Judd Apatow-produced comedy starring “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kristen Wiig, had a better-than-expected debut with $24.4 million.

No, $24 million isn’t the stuff of blockbusters, but it’s more impressive than the anemic showing of recent romantic comedies. Here’s more:

Because there have been few R-rated female-driven comedies at the box office, Universal Pictures was unsure of how well “Bridesmaids” would perform. The studio had estimated the film would gross only about $15 million this weekend despite overwhelmingly positive reviews. (The movie currently has a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.)

“Bridesmaids,” about a comical group of women helping their friend prepare for her wedding, appealed mostly to females. The audience was made up of 67% women, and 63% of the crowd was over 30. Those who saw the film seemed to like it, giving it an average grade of B-plus, according to market research firm CinemaScore. The movie was produced by Universal Pictures and Relativity Media for $32.5 million, meaning it is off to a decent start at the box office.

The film’s opening is good news for star Wiig. Best known for her eclectic “SNL” characters, the actress had never before had a leading role in a film, although she’d put in memorable cameos in movies, including Apatow’s “Knocked Up.” “Bridesmaids” is also one of the better recent openings for the filmmaker.

Maybe there’s hope for my “Confessions of a She-Fan” script now. As currently written, it’s an R-type romantic comedy and if Kristin Wiig wants to play the heroine, it would be more than okay with me.

 

I Went To See "Bridesmaids"

I wanted to support the Chick Flick genre, plus I read today’s review in The New York Times and said to Michael about five minutes after I finished it, “We’re going.” He had watched the trailer and thought it looked funny, so I didn’t really have to do any arm twisting.

We went to an early afternoon show and it was more crowded than I expected – a good sign for the movie, I would think. And Michael wasn’t the only guy there, which was shocking.

As for “Bridesmaids” itself, I tried not to laugh. After all, I just had surgery and my body is sore, especially where I was filleted. It hurts to laugh, cough, sneeze, breathe, you name it. But there were moments in the movie that were impossible – literally impossible, I tell you! – not to just collapse into outright roars of laughter. Michael laughed even louder than I did.

Kristin Wiig is in practically every scene or maybe she’s IN every scene, can’t remember, but she carries the movie with ease. She makes her neurotic character instantly likable and I couldn’t help but root for her. Favorite scenes? (SPOILER ALERT:)

Trying on dresses at the fancy salon (actually, it’s the bathroom scene).

The flight to Vegas (could totally relate to the fear of flying).

The sweet moments with the cop/love interest.

Trying to win back the cop/love interest.

The final performance by Jill Clayburgh before she died.

Will “Bridesmaids” go down in history as being a great film? Of course not. It’s entertainment, pure and simple. I can’t wait till it’s on TV so I can see it again.

More On "Bridesmaids"

Last night I posted the trailer for the movie, which opens Friday. Tonight I’m posting an email I got from Kirsten Smith, who, with her writing partner Karen McCullah, has scripted such monster female-driven hits as “Legally Blonde,” “House Bunny” and “The Ugly Truth.” Here’s what she sent out:

Dear Friend,

I know you get a lot of emails about donating money to worthy causes, but I’d like to draw your attention to one in particular:

The Chick Flick.

It is currently on the Motion Picture Association of America’s list of Endangered Species and it faces extinction if we don’t act now.

And by now, I mean this Friday’s 8pm show of BRIDESMAIDS at the Arclight.   Bring your flask, your pot cookies, your Diet Coke and your favorite human.  You can buy your tickets online at https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/MovieDetails.jsp?movieName=BRIDESMAIDS&movieType=ComingSoon&pageInfo=Coming-Soon&currentCinemaId=1001 <https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/MovieDetails.jsp?movieName=BRIDESMAIDS&amp;movieType=ComingSoon&amp;pageInfo=Coming-Soon&amp;currentCinemaId=1001>

Let’s show the planet we are capable of queefing out some major box-office lady-power.

Penises also allowed.  Pass it on.  See you Friday.

The Arclight theater is in L.A., but the point is to go see the movie wherever you live if you want Hollywood to keep making chick flicks. Kirsten asked everybody to pass the word around. I’m passing it around.

 

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.