| Director | Paul Feig |
|---|---|
| Budget | $32.5 million |
| Box office | $290 million |
Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) is a single, underachieving woman living in Milwaukee. Following the Great Recession, her bakery went out of business. She now works a stressful, underpaid job at a jewelry store and shares an apartment with obnoxious roommates. She regularly has casual sex with the wealthy, self-absorbed Ted (Jon Hamm). The only positive presence in Annie's life is her lifelong best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph).
When Lillian becomes engaged to her boyfriend Doug, she asks Annie to be her maid of honor. At the engagement party, Annie meets Lillian's other bridesmaids: Lillian's cousin Rita; Lillian's coworker Becca; Doug's sister Megan; and Helen, the wife of Doug's boss. Annie and Helen are jealous of each other's friendships with Lillian and compete for her attention.
On the way home from the engagement party, Annie is pulled over by police officer Nathan Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd) due to her erratic driving. She completes a sobriety test, which she passes, however a ticket is written for broken brake lights. The pair get talking and Officer Rhodes realizes that Annie was the owner of 'Cake Baby' (Annie's former bakery). Annie looks upset about being given a ticket, which Officer Rhodes agrees to rescind as long as she gets her taillights fixed.
Lillian and her bridesmaids have lunch at a Brazilian restaurant chosen by Annie. Annie then takes them to a high-end bridal-dress boutique. With the exception of Helen (who did not eat the meat at the restaurant), the women are all stricken with food poisoning. As Rita vomits into a toilet at the boutique, Becca vomits on Rita, and Megan defecates into the bathroom sink. While wearing an haute couture wedding dress, Lillian tries to rush through traffic to reach another bathroom; she then succumbs to diarrhea, defecating in the street.
Annie's subsequent suggestion for a bachelorette party at Lillian's parents' lake house is overruled in favor of a Las Vegas trip planned by Helen. On the plane there, Annie accepts a sedative and liquor from Helen to alleviate her fear of flying and becomes intoxicated and belligerent toward airline staff. She then starts hallucinating and suffers a paranoid breakdown that culminates in her being tackled by Megan and apprehended by an air marshal. The plane makes an emergency landing, and the party takes a bus home. Lillian then decides that Helen should take over the planning of the bridal shower and wedding.
Meanwhile, Annie grows closer to Nathan Rhodes. As a former regular customer at Annie's bakery, he repeatedly encourages her to open a new bakery; she is apprehensive. Following a romantic night together, she abruptly leaves when Nathan surprises her with baking supplies the next morning.
Annie is fired from her job for a profanity-laden argument with a teenage customer. After being evicted by her roommates, she moves in with her mother. Annie travels to Helen's home in Chicago for Lillian's Parisian-themed bridal shower—an idea of Annie's that Helen had previously rejected. When Helen upstages Annie's heartfelt gift by surprising Lillian with a trip to Paris, Annie flies into a profane tirade, loudly berating Lillian and Helen and destroying the decorations. The subsequent argument between Annie and Lillian ends with Annie storming out of the bridal shower and Lillian disinviting her from the wedding.
While driving home, Annie's still-broken taillights lead to a car accident. The responding officer is Nathan, who admonishes her for not taking responsibility for herself. Ted arrives shortly afterward, offering Annie a ride. When he asks Annie to perform fellatio on him as he drives, she demands to be let out of the car and walks home.
Megan visits Annie, motivating her to take control of her life. Annie fixes her car, takes up baking again, and tries to reconcile with Nathan; Nathan ignores her. On the day of the wedding, Helen comes to Annie, begging for help to find a missing Lillian. During their search, Helen tearfully confesses that most people only hung out with her for her event-planning skills, that she does not have any girlfriends nor true friends, and that she feels unsatisfied in her marriage.
With some begrudging help from Nathan, Annie and Helen find Lillian in her apartment. Lillian is overwhelmed by Helen's extravagant wedding planning and is afraid of leaving her life in Milwaukee. Annie reconciles with Lillian and resumes her role as maid of honor. After the wedding, Annie and Helen agree to get dinner together, officially becoming friends. Nathan then arrives unexpectedly. Annie and Nathan kiss before riding away in Nathan's police car.