No one can say that Kristen Wiig hasn’t worked hard to get to where she is today. Not only is she yet another Saturday Night Live alumni, but she’s played more supporting roles in films than seems humanly possible. Not only that, but she often manages to steal the scenes she’s in, as was the case with Adventureland and Whip It.

Her career to date has seen her as forever the supporting role bridesmaid and never the female lead bride. For her break out starring role then it’s just a tad ironic that she gets to play... a bridesmaid.

Life isn’t really going to plan for Annie (Wiig): her cake business was hit by the recession, which led to her having to share an apartment with an oddball English brother and sister couple; the man she’s sleeping with (Jon Hamm) doesn’t consider them to be dating; and the icing on her recession hit cake is that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has just announced that she’s finally getting married.

Although delighted by her friend’s news, It does kind of put Annie’s situation into perspective. Still, by way of consolation, Lillian does ask her to be the bride of honour and help with all the wedding preparations, particularly concerning the bridesmaids.

Her initial delight wanes somewhat when she encounters Helen (Rose Byrne) who is the wife of her hubby-to-be’s boss. As far as Helen is concerned, she and Lillian are new BFF’s and therefore she should really be taking care of the wedding plans. This leads to an almighty clash of the bridal titans between the pair. But in the battle for the bridesmaids, there can be but one winner...

I have a confession to make: I'm not really American. There, I've said it!

There’s no denying that the story here is rather on the predictable side. What makes this film a refreshing change however is in its execution. Wiig shines from start to finish; comedy is most certainly her thang, and she constantly delivers here. But she also taps into a rich vein of vulnerability that gives her performance an unusual amount of depth. It’s certainly up there with Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones. As far as being a leading lady is concerned, it’s safe to say that Wiig has finally arrived – and it’s about time too.

She doesn’t completely steal the show however, as some clever bit of casting means that a great group of bridesmaids keep her on her comic toes. The bridesmaid contingent are a lively bunch of ladies, with Mike & Molly’s Melissa McCarthy slightly edging out in front as the most entertaining as the unpredictable Megan.

Rose Byrne also shows she has a flare for comedy, albeit one that doesn’t quite feel natural throughout.

It’s not only Wiig who will get the plaudits however; our very own Chris O’ Dowd – who has not only already ticked the comedy box with his turn as Roy in the TV series The IT Crowd, but also flexed his considerable acting muscle in the recent BBC drama The Crimson Petal and the White - does his career in the US no harm at all with an über-charming role playing Wiig’s main love interest Nathan.

As delightful as many of the performances are, they wouldn’t be nearly as bright without the sharp and witty script, which incidentally, was also co-written by Wiig. At times it manages to even outgross the dodgy exploits of the Hangover films.

In that sense Bridesmaids is the antithesis to the Sex & the City crowd; its women certainly don’t pander to the passing whims of fashion and don’t take themselves anywhere near as seriously. And they’re just that more loveable because of it.

Going back to The Hangover films, Bridesmaids could easily be considered the female equivalent. Its humour is borderline black in places, which elevates it so much higher than the usual fluffy rom-com material. It’s this darker tone however that makes it just as appealing to men as to its obvious female demographic. To that end, it makes a pretty good date film.

Director Paul Feig journey is similar to Wiigs; he has been the best man in as much as having directed numerous episodes of some quality TV shows (including gems such as Arrested Development, Nurse Jackie and The US Office) which have clearly groomed him well for his cinematic debut.

At just over two hours though, he could have done with shortening it somewhat and making it a little tighter, as it starts to take on the longevity of a real wedding by its end.

You shouldn’t let that put you off however. Bridesmaids has far more genuine laugh out loud moments than many other comedies released this year, and is far more entertaining. And more than anything, Wiig has proved that she is totally worthy of A-list status, and makes the announcement to the world that she is most definitely ‘bridal’ material.