Movie Review
Siddharth Martis
3 / 5
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a movie directed by Jake Szymanski and written by Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien. It stars Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Aubrey Plaza, and Anna Kendrick, along with Sam Richardson and Sugar Lyn Beard.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates also can’t help but feel out of its time or depth as it lacks any new insights, but instead chooses to mimic the film that inspired it, that being, the now classic, Wedding Crashers. This by no means makes the film lazy as everyone labors hard to make it as entertaining as possible. The movie simply suffers from an identity crisis.
It sets up good intentioned slapstick gags to be orchestrated by people with the worst intentions. This holds the film back from how irreverent it should as it desperately wants to please its audience, coming across like the one kid in the playground constantly asking everyone if they like him. It’s just annoying.
With that said, the film and its fantastic cast do demonstrate genuine instances of wit throughout the first and second act, paving the way for the phenomenal third act to run its course. Proving its self-awareness, as well as its comedic chops, the last 30 minutes of the film proved to not only be immensely more charming and hilarious than the rest of the film but also showcased some much-needed character development. This really did save the movie for me as it finally came into its own, truly becoming as funny and irreverent as it needed to be while being as enjoyable as it wanted to be.
Hard-partying brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves outsmarted and out-partied by the uncontrollable duo.Mike and Dave may need wedding dates, but it’s clear that the writers left the film at the altar, leaving its talented leads to tend to the, now devastated, film. And, for the most part, they do a great job, but the four protagonists, no matter how skilled and committed they may be, can’t truly elevate the film to the point that it feels less oblivious or toothless.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates also can’t help but feel out of its time or depth as it lacks any new insights, but instead chooses to mimic the film that inspired it, that being, the now classic, Wedding Crashers. This by no means makes the film lazy as everyone labors hard to make it as entertaining as possible. The movie simply suffers from an identity crisis.
It sets up good intentioned slapstick gags to be orchestrated by people with the worst intentions. This holds the film back from how irreverent it should as it desperately wants to please its audience, coming across like the one kid in the playground constantly asking everyone if they like him. It’s just annoying.
With that said, the film and its fantastic cast do demonstrate genuine instances of wit throughout the first and second act, paving the way for the phenomenal third act to run its course. Proving its self-awareness, as well as its comedic chops, the last 30 minutes of the film proved to not only be immensely more charming and hilarious than the rest of the film but also showcased some much-needed character development. This really did save the movie for me as it finally came into its own, truly becoming as funny and irreverent as it needed to be while being as enjoyable as it wanted to be.