Bridesmaids: An Oscar contender?

Though Academy voters typically eschew raunchy R-rated comedies, Kristen Wiig's hit film is emerging as a dark-horse awards season contender

"Bridesmaids"
(Image credit: Facebook/Bridesmaids)

Could a film in which a woman defecates in the sink at a high-end dress boutique be an Oscar nominee? Yes, say awards pundits, given the momentum that Bridesmaids, this summer's raunchy blockbuster, has been picking up. The American Film Institute listed Bridesmaids as one of the year's 10 best films, while the New York Film Critics Online gave the movie its Best Ensemble prize. After the film earned two major Screen Actors Guild Award nominations Wednesday, it's looking like Oscar recognition could be in its future — particularly for screenplay writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo and scenestealer Melissa McCarthy. And what about Best Picture?

It's certainly possible: It's been "a magical week" for Bridesmaids, says Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter. The movie's ensemble cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award — that ceremony's top prize. Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy picked up a slew of Best Supporting Actress trophies from critics' organizations for her performance as the relentlessly inappropriate sister-of-the-groom Megan, defeating presumed frontrunners The Help's Octavia Spencer and The Descendants' Shailene Woodley. McCarthy's stock rose again with SAG and Critics Choice nods. With the film's inclusion in AFI's Top 10, "could this be a surprise best picture Oscar nominee?"

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Kevin Fallon is a reporter for The Daily Beast. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at TheWeek.com and a writer and producer for TheAtlantic.com's entertainment vertical. He is only mildly embarrassed by the fact that he still watches Glee.