- Language: English (Dolby Surround)
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: R
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: September 27, 2016
- Run Time: 99 minutes
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates may be
based on a true story (to a certain degree), but it has a plot which feels
formulated in a studio boardroom after watching The Wedding Crashers and Step
Brothers on repeat. The screenplay is unbearably predictable, elevated only
slightly by a cast far more committed to the characters than either of the
screenwriters. Beyond the basic set-up for the film taken from a human interest
news story, Mike and Dave Need Wedding
Dates has about as much creativity as its title. The only unexpected
moments in the screenplay come from the heavily improvised dialogue spouted by
actors making additions to amuse themselves.
Half of these added jokes are more
crass than clever and Aubrey
Plaza never seems capable
of hiding her own amusement in her ability to improvise raunchy lines, but this
is still a movie that relies far more on the personality of its actors than the
story written by the screenwriters. Even if they likely made themselves laugh
more than they did the audience, the only good thing about this film is the
cast. At the same time, they are self indulgent and over-the-top, occasionally
more annoying than amusing, and rarely resemble real human beings. For Plaza
and Adam Devine, the film merely gives them the opportunity to play the same
roles that they have been playing since their careers took off, while Zac Efron
and Anna Kendrick are given the freedom to join them. The only thing missing
are the actors playing the comedy straight, so that this is just a movie with a
lot of over-the-top characters which are only topped by the absurd comedic
scenarios provided by screenwriter.
The basic premise that very poorly
connects the narrative together involves two brothers named Mike (Efron) and
Dave (Devine) in desperate need of dates for their sister’s wedding. Having a
reputation for being wild party animals that ruin every family function, Mike
and Dave have been tasked to find two nice girls as dates for the destination
wedding in Hawaii.
Because this is an idiotic movie based on the stupidity of people in real life,
Mike and Dave somehow think that Craigslist is the place to find nice girls as
their dates, and instead end up attracting their female counterparts in Alice
(Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza).
In need of a vacation from their lazy
lifestyles, Alice and Tatiana put on a show for Mike and Dave by pretending to
be far more respectable than they are. Even if this basic set-up initially
seems promising, the film doesn’t develop the story beyond this premise. The
remainder of the run-time is filled with a series of lazily constructed gags,
saved only by the scenes of improvised dialogue between these four leads. When
the supporting cast tries to get in on the humor, it becomes overkill. Every
actor in this movie is trying to get laughs, and though their individual
performances may be highlighted by this approach, the overall film suffers.
There is no tonal variety in the humor, little difference in the styles of
comedy attempted by each cast member, and a series of characters that all feel
written in the same voice. It’s like a Will Ferrell movie where all of the
co-stars are trying to imitate Ferrell, no cast member willing to sacrifice
their laughs to make a more coherent film.
At times the competitive comedy of
the cast leads to an inspired moment of humor, but the overall film is far less
memorable than the individual moments within it. A great deal of the enjoyment
the film has to offer also relies on preexisting opinions of cast members. As
many reviewers pointed out, several of these actors seem to be playing roles
that feel lifted from other movies that they have done recently. If you like
these actors from what they have done in the past, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates doesn’t challenge these images in
any way.
The Blu-ray combo pack also comes
with a DVD and Digital HD copy of the film. The special features show how much
of the movie was improvised, with over 90 minutes of additional footage. There
are deleted scenes, line variations for jokes, an alternate storyline, and even
a longer gag reel to go with the one played over the credits. This is one of
those cases where there was far more laughing onset than there likely was in
the theaters showing the film. There are also some promotional “Funny or Die”
shorts and a commentary track with director Jake Szymanski.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 8/10
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