Maya Rudolph can make a corporate villain sound as though she is dealing with routine paperwork. We rate that vocal precision, and the quieter skill that makes the friendship in Bridesmaids worth caring about.
Fi1m perspective
In Bridesmaids (2011), Maya Rudolph's Lillian makes being friends with Kristen Wiig's anxious Annie look easy. That matters: the jealousy would be harder to bear if we could not see why the friendship was worth keeping. We felt the hurt because Rudolph made their affection so believable. Under Paul Feig's direction, she gives Wiig room for the more conspicuous comedy without becoming a convenient, agreeable blank beside her. We recommend the film despite the scenes that run too long and the romance that slows it down; Rudolph is a substantial part of its warmth.
Sustaining that ease is a different job from the impressions with which she established herself on Saturday Night Live (2000–2007). Her impressions of Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Donatella Versace depended on mannerisms as well as vocal inflections. Film ensembles and animation gave those skills different uses. As Connie the Hormone Monstress in Big Mouth (2017–), she has room for exaggerated, playful voice work; in Bridesmaids, the friendship needs to sound unforced.
Jeff Rowe's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) makes a useful comparison. As the voice of Cynthia Utrom, whose company wants mutants for its laboratories, Rudolph is funny through her lack of excitement: unpleasant business delivered with administrative calm. The young turtles' bickering gives the film its loose, lively character, and she provides a neatly controlled contrast. We recommend it with a caveat about the predictable plot, but its casting makes familiar business enjoyable.
The lead role of Molly Wells in Loot (2022–) gives her a different responsibility from the supporting parts and voice work that occupy so much of her film career. It is a useful direction for an actor whose contribution can be underestimated when we count only the biggest laughs. A leading part should leave room for the quieter responses as well as the comic exaggeration. For a first encounter, though, choose Bridesmaids, allowing a little patience for Feig's reluctance to cut a scene short.
Biography
Maya Rudolph is an American actress and comedian. Born on 27 July 1972 in Gainesville, Florida, she joined the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in 2000 and remained until 2007.
She has appeared in supporting roles in films including 50 First Dates (2004), Bridesmaids (2011), Grown Ups (2010) and its 2013 sequel. Rudolph has provided voice performances in animated features such as Shrek the Third (2007), Big Hero 6 (2014) and Luca (2021).
On television she has voiced characters in Big Mouth since 2017 and starred in the series Loot since 2022. She has received multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, including for her guest appearances on Saturday Night Live.
