In a recent interview with Collider, filmmaker Paul Feig discussed his career, landing on topic of his 2011 comedy Bridesmaids. The movie grossed over $280 million worldwide and set the bar for other female-driven situational comedies for years to come. Kristen Wiig stars as Annie Walker, a down-on-her-luck baker who takes on the task of being her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph)’s maid of honor. Bridesmaids was praised by critics and moviegoers alike, from Annie Mumolo’s sharp script to Melissa McCarthy’s outstanding supporting role as Lillian’s new sister-in-law. So why not bring everyone back for round two? Feig opened up about his methodical decision to not pursue Bridesmaids 2: 

Bridesmaids' works — you remember all the comedy stuff, that was great, but the reason that movie worked is because it was about Kristen Wiig’s character who was a very confident person before the movie began who has this total crash because her bakery goes out of business and everything falls apart in her life... That’s why all this stuff happens, because she’s just acting out and trying desperately to save things, and by the end she heals herself, as much as you can. That’s what you latch onto in that film. So to do a sequel, I think you’re basically just gonna have to have a funny wedding.

For Bridesmaids fans, this should ring true. While there’s no denying the cringe-worthiness of the airplane scene or the gross hilarity of the food poisoning scene, that’s not what the movie is at its core. It’s about a woman picking up the pieces of her life as she tries to hold onto the best friend she’s ever known.

This is why Bridesmaids stands out from many other films in its genre, and why its key comedic scenes are so memorable. It would be tricky to recapture that same spirit in a sequel without moving into slapstick wedding comedy territory. Feig went on to say that Wiig is ultimately the “keeper of the keys” in terms of a second Bridesmaids, but if she ever moved forward, the plot would have to be just as emotionally engaging as the first. And that’s how you keep subpar sequels from being made.

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