Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates Review
4.5/5 stars
Look, was this movie perfect? No. Was it stupid? Oh, God yes. Was it overlong? Undoubtedly. Was it overly-sentimental? At times, sure. But if this wasn’t the funniest film I’ve seen in a while and (as of writing this) the movie that made me laugh the hardest in 2016..
“Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates” is directed by rookie with an early knack for comedy Jake Szymanski (7 Days in Hell) and stars Zac Efron (Dirty Grandpa), Adam DeVine (Pitch Perfect 1 & 2), Anna Kendrick (Drinking Buddies), and Aubrey Plaza (The DUFF). Already this film has promise: a game, experienced cast; a screwball premise; and competent comedic direction. And it delivers on all those accounts. The movie’s biggest asset is its cast, particularly Efron and DeVine – whose comedic chemistry is almost otherwordly. This is one of those pictures that you can just tell was a blast to film, but unlike 2015’s “Sisters“, it gives us a good time to be watching, too. These two play off each other so well and you can see how much fun they’re having in every frame, both of whom are perfectly suited for these hard-R, raunchy comedies. Anna Kendrick turns in a surprisingly sweet, layered performance too – one that is also very funny. Aubrey Plaza normally annoys me, her shtick gets grating rather quickly anywhere else – and she still can be obnoxious here as well. But she mostly transcends that bias to deliver a lot of funny moments. It’s a general joy to see all these people together and I really wish I could see more of these characters.
Now, of course not every jokes lands. And when some miss, they REALLY miss – including Alice Wetterlund as a Kate McKinnon impersonator who just so happens to be impersonating an in-your-face lesbian. Though, most of the misses aren’t cringe-inducing a la “How to Be Single“; here they’re mostly passable and don’t really deter from the film’s overall silliness. But a good 90% of the humor presented is uproarious. Many instances during the runtime I found myself nearly crippled with laughter. Yes, more often than not this is due to the actors’ delivery, which shows you how well the casting and directing succeeds. I’m known to be one who laughs at stupidity, and luckily for me this movie is brimming with it – so I can see why others might have been turned off by it. Me personally, however, has a great time with it; it’s a riot.
As mentioned before, it does falter a bit in its storytelling. It can get punishingly clichéd, it can meander, and it certainly can get sentimental – but luckily for us, the movie knows never to let the seemingly-required drama overstay its welcome and take away its spark. The movie even ends on a high, unconventional note where a lesser film might have finalized it with a bucket full of Hollywood gloss. “Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates” gives funny people an ample amount of time to do funny things and never lets the script limit that in any way. There’s a solid 2-3 minute scene involving an O-face and the term ‘Push-Pop’ which wouldn’t have been near as funny if it was reduced by progression requirements in any way, shape, or form.
“Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates” is a comedic gold mine, once you get past its surmountable faults. Some of the best comedic chemistry/acting of the year, some solid setups, and an ever-funny premise easily overshadow its failed jokes and iffy storytelling by a landslide. Yeah, it’s flawed – but, honestly, who cares? As a comedy, this film does its job with ease. Detractors are hailing this film as ‘the death of modern comedy‘ and an overall abysmal experience – to which I must ask, did we watch the same movie? Have they not seen “The Boss“? Or “The Do-Over“, “Meet the Blacks“, “Fifty Shades of Black“, “Hail, Caesar!“, or any other unfunny tripe from this year that didn’t present half the effort and laughs that were put into “Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates”? I liked it, though I realize it isn’t a perfect film. Definitely go out and see it, it’s a riot – just don’t expect Shakespeare.
4.5/5 stars.
