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There are at least four different movies competing with one another in the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy Bridesmaids, starring Saturday Night Live's current breakout star Kristen Wiig (who also co-wrote the screenplay). Most of those movies work, even though they don't always have anything to do with one another: a smart, thoughtful, character-based comedy about female friendship clumsily butts up against a broad gross-out comedy about people vomiting uncontrollably.

Quiet, honest moments give way to obvious slapstick. All have their place, and all can be (and, in the case of Bridesmaids, are) funny, but they don't always feel like they belong in the same movie.

Wiig stars as Annie, a failed bakery owner and mess of an adult, whose best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph, another SNL alum) has just gotten engaged. As soon as Annie agrees to be the maid of honor, her life begins to fall apart even further -- largely thanks to the presence of Lillian's friend Helen (Rose Byrne), a wealthy trophy wife who quickly begins squeezing Annie out of the planning and usurping her place as best friend. Rounding out the bridal part are Rita (Reno 911!'s Wendi McLendon-Covey), a jaded housewife and miserable mother of three, relentlessly sweet newlywed Becca (Ellie Kemper) and Lillian's future sister-in-law Megan (Melissa McCarthy). While Annie's life is imploding, she happens to meet a very sweet Irish cop (Chris O'Dowd) who takes more than a passing interest in her.

Like a lot of films from the Judd Apatow factory, Bridesmaids feels like a movie gutted in the editing process -- this despite the fact that it runs an overly-long 2+ hours. Whether it's because of test screenings or a tendency to "save it for the DVD," there seems to be a lot missing from the film. It's at once overstuffed and underserved. Bridesmaids boasts an insanely impressive bench of talented comedic actors, many of whom never even get the chance to play: Kemper and McLendon-Covey are both very funny, but all but disappear from the film at about the halfway point. Other actors, such as Nancy (Walls) Carell (wife of Steve), former SNL cast member Melanie Hutsell and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! star Tim Heidecker are on screen for mere moments, never even getting the chance to utter a single line of dialogue. The final act of the film, in particular, feels hurried and damaged by convenient screenwriting and obvious movie cliches, which is too bad considering how much time and energy Bridesmaids devotes to distinguishing itself from the pack of tired Hollywood comedies.

There's so much to like in Bridesmaids and scenes that are so truly funny that it manages to succeed as both a comedy and as a film, despite its obvious flaws. Kristen Wiig, who has taken to mugging so shamelessly on SNL, is very good here -- funny in a quieter way, likable but flawed. Her scenes with both Rudolph and O'Dowd feel sweet and genuine, so much so that I wish the rest of the movie had followed suit and bit more and focused on that over the more broad comic setpieces. Oh well. It's the rare movie that frustrated me because it left me wanting more, and that can't really be a bad thing.

• Bridesmaids is rated R for some strong sexuality and language throughout.
• Release Date: May 13, 2011
• Running Time: 125 minutes