With a premise we’ve seen numerous times before and a story featuring a series of misadventures the likes of which have been portrayed countless times previously, Bachelorette bursts onto the scene and demands to be taken seriously as a mean-spirited comic treat. Featuring an outstanding cast, plenty of wit, a definite mean streak, and surprising moments of dramatic depth, Leslye Headland’s own take on the female comedy shines through, despite its faults and retread of a premise.

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher as three high school friends who reunite in New York City for the wedding of a friend, played by Rebel Wilson, the film has the potential from the get-go to simply explore cliche-ridden territory as a female driven wedding comedy. Clearly it would be silly to not at least recognize the similarities here between Bachelorette and Bridesmaids, but the film does its utmost to forgo these similarities at every turn.

At surface level, and according to what the film is selling, Bachelorette features Regan (Dunst), Katie (Fisher), and Gena (Caplan), as bridesmaids for a woman they don’t particularly care for, or at the least aren’t very kind towards. Were this entirely true, I can’t say it would be very enjoyable, even in a dark comedy, to watch these types of unlikable characters. Thankfully the characters here aren’t that single-minded, and in many instances show some serious depth of character which only drives each subsequent event and mishap.

Headland has crafted a delightfully brisk, metropolitan-minded adventure through the streets of New York City. While often uneven in tone, and clearly treading the line between cliche and rehash, there is surprising depth that is quite rewarding. Adam Scott is terrific as Clyde, groomsman to Dale (Hayes MacArthur), and ex-high school sweetheart to Gena. He brings some truly excellent weight to the film, and works marvelously opposite of Caplan.

James Marsden, meanwhile, plays another groomsman who shares several scenes with Dunst. The chemistry here isn’t quite as clear, but the scenes add greatly to Dunst’s otherwise rather brittle character, so they are at least serviceable. Kyle Bornheimer as Joe, the – for want of a better word – “nerd” of the group adds some nice character diversity as he woos the free-spirited, out-of-control Katie. While there might be one too many potential relationships going on here, each are given their time to add weight, comedic or otherwise, to the proceedings.

Undeniably foul-mouthed and with a serious mean streak, Bachelorette is a largely successful little comedy. It is sure to be largely dismissed as a “Bridesmaids knockoff” outside its stellar on-demand performance. The shame of this comes two-fold, as it is based on a 2008 stage play written by Headland herself; it’s an extremely funny, honest, witty, emotional, and delightfully mean-spirited film that is, quite frankly, better than Bridesmaids in many respects. Yes, it has its issues both tonally and narratively, but there is much here to enjoy and the brisk pace with which it moves, coupled with great characters and performances, will surprise and please on nearly every turn.

Grade: B

Rated: R (for sexual content, pervasive language, and drug use)

Bachelorette opens in theaters on September 7, 2012 and is also available on VOD.