I find Paul Feig's directorial career fascinating; Spy, The Heat, A Simple Favour and Ghostbusters, all female-fronted and each of them a lot of fun and very enjoyable in their own right.

2011's Bridesmaids really was the catalyst, not only for Paul Feig's career, but the Hollywood careers of Saturday Night Live alumna Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, for Rose Byrne to prove her comedic timing and for a standout Oscar-nominated performance by Melissa McCarthy. This is more than just "the female Hangover". This is Bridesmaids. It's better, it's funnier, it treats its characters like people and it's more relatable. Without Bridesmaids, we would almost certainly not have Girls Trip, Pitch Perfect, Booksmart or Trainwreck, among others, and our lives would be less rich without all of them. (They're all great - I highly recommend them!)

Bridesmaids didn't just get a nomination for a supporting actress Oscar either; Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo's screenplay was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.You think women can't be funny? Well, you're wrong. Women can be funny, they can be gross, they can be sweet and they can be powerful. Bridesmaids means more for women in Hollywood than you might think. It means more for women than you might think. It means a hell of a lot just to me.

Bridesmaids, while it does resort to hilarious potty humour (literally!) also has a deep and meaningful core of the values of friendship, beneficial relationships and mental health that The Hangover doesn't dare go near. These women are real women, flaws and all, and they deserve that effing cookie!

I would love to hear your thoughts on Bridesmaids! You can get in touch on

Twitter @verbaldiorama

Instagram @verbaldiorama

Facebook @verbaldiorama

YouTube @verbaldiorama

Letterboxd @verbaldiorama

or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions:

verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com

Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek and Jason for supporting Verbal Diorama!

You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and Podchaser and I'd very much appreciate that!

My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com

Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode:

Twitter peeps

@geeksaladradio

@joshmikeking

@BetamaxPod

@robinhoodpod

@Dave_J_Wood

@emhig

@sophieBooGC1

@KirstieBennett8

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.