Fans have been waiting 15 years for a sequel to the 2011 comedy classic Bridesmaids. While that film hasn’t materialized, Sunday night’s Oscars telecast offered the next best thing: a full-blown reunion of its beloved cast.
Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper took the stage together at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, 15 years after Paul Feig’s film became a surprise box office phenomenon and landed two Academy Award nominations. The appearance was greeted with a partial standing ovation from the crowd.
The timing was particularly special for Byrne, who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The night was filled with fun coincidences; that film also stars host Conan O’Brien, and Rudolph’s longtime partner, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, was in the audience supporting his 13 nominations for One Battle After Another.
The five actors were tasked with presenting the awards for Best Original Score and Best Sound, which went to Ludwig Göransson for Sinners and the film F1, respectively. However, the presenters ensured the moment was about more than just reading a list of nominees.
Wiig kicked off the set by marveling at the passage of time, joking, “We are not good with numbers but we figured out backstage that means we shot this movie in 1883.” The comedy continued when a producer emerged to hand them handwritten notes, allegedly from members of the audience, which they proceeded to read aloud.
Rudolph started, reading, “Well, mine says, first of all, ‘You ladies look extremely beautiful tonight. You’re all aging well. Signed Stellan Skarsgård.'”
Byrne’s fake note was addressed to her personally: “Rose, can you please stop looking at me? The eye contact is too much. I’m thinking of leaving. I’m very uncomfortable. Sincerely, Leonardo DiCaprio.” As the camera cut to DiCaprio, who appeared playfully uncomfortable, Byrne added, “I apologize. I have been staring at you. I thought you were somebody else.”
McCarthy’s note continued the theme of compliments, reading, “All the things that you’ve done to your faces are very tasteful,” before revealing it was from actress Elle Fanning. Wiig then chimed in with a note she claimed was from Benicio del Toro, which gently roasted the length of their own bit: “You guys have been talking for a long time. This bit could have been a lot shorter… You aren’t even talking about score.” After Kemper’s note joked about the long show and a lack of pizza, the actresses finally got down to the business of presenting the awards.
The reunion was a fitting tribute to a film that not only made audiences laugh but also earned McCarthy her first of two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and nominations for Wiig and co-writer Annie Mumolo for Best Original Screenplay. Oscar producers had teased the appearance in the lead-up, calling it “very special,” and it delivered on that promise with the same sharp, self-deprecating humor that made the movie a classic.
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