Is Bridesmaids Really The Female Version Of The Hangover?

Firstly, I'm fully aware I am way behind everybody else by only watching Bridesmaids tonight, and so apologies that this post might not fit exactly into the niche of 'newest TV/music/film'; yes, it's probably false advertising, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write this post. As per, I have a lot to say. 

Prior to watching Bridesmaids, I'd heard A LOT of comparisons between it and The Hangover. Whilst I recognised some similarities (which seemed to suggest Bridesmaids was just ripping off The Hangover concept for ensured success) I don't even think they belong to the same film genre and so can't really do an in-detail versus review. 

All I know is this: The Hangover beats Bridesmaids. Hands. Down. 

Bridesmaids started off pretty slow, and although I could appreciate the humour in the reality of Annie's relationship situation, the film didn't fulfill my expectations as a funny film until we were introduced to Tyler: the weird kid who asks brutal questions and does a funny dance. That dance was funny.

A lot of my friends had referenced the dress fitting scene as one of the funniest (when Megan memorably uses the sink as a toilet). I don't really find toilet humour (excuse the pun) that funny. Yes, the chaos was a bit comical. But not nearly as funny as I was expecting.
Another scene I can imagine people finding funny was the Maid of Honour speech, in which Annie and Helen became overly competitive. Again, this was kind of entertaining, but prolonged to the point of ridicule and boredom. It became too obvious what was going to happen, which is never going to work in a comedy film.
In contrast, who would have guessed the whole 'Stu marrying a prostitute' plot?
The Hangover brilliantly succeeds where Bridesmaids unfortunately fails; it was the first of its kind to hyperbolise the stereotypes of bachelor/ette parties. Now, this doesn't mean I would have preferred Bridesmaids if I'd watched them the other way round. No matter how you look at it, The Hangover is the funniest and more entertaining.
On a side note; when I refer to The Hangover, I do only mean Part I, as I am wary of ruining the franchise by watching the sequel, going by all the terrible reviews.
It seems Bridesmaids is much more of a chick-flick than a simple comedy. I wasn't expecting this because of the copious amounts of comparisons and referrals to Bridesmaids as 'The female Hangover'. I do enjoy chick-flicks - Love Actually and Bridget Jones (1 not 2) are my favourite films ever - but because I wasn't expecting this kind of film, I lost interest pretty quickly.
 I even started painting my nails halfway through.
Don't let this put you off watching Bridesmaids. It is a good film, you just need to know what to expect so you're not disappointed like me.

1. Don't expect the same amount of silliness as The Hangover. Yes, Megan is similar to Alan (kind of) but she isn't monopolised correctly to make it as funny.
2. The focuses of Bridesmaids are very much female friendships, and romance. Very Bridget Jones-esque.
3. The 'catchphrases' aren't as good. In fact, they're downright rip offs of The Hangover's "toodle-loo motherfuckers": "Auf Weidersehen asshole" and "Catch you on the flipside, motherfucker". Please. Could they be any more obvious?

So all in all, The Hangover is the comedy champion, and Bridesmaids is definitely not its female counterpart. But Bridesmaids does have some thing 'over' The Hangover: Chris O'Dowd. Yes, from The IT Crowd. He's cracking America. And who can resist that lovely Irish twang?

Which film did you prefer? Let me know in the comments below or vote on my poll (which should be on the right hand side of your screen!).