“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” is one of the best surprises this year. The trailer left me wanting no more, while the film had me wanting to see it one more time.
The movie revolves around the titular characters Mike and Dave, played by Adam DeVine and Zac Efron respectively; need dates to keep them in check at their sister’s wedding, since hell on earth unleashes whenever they are left to their own devices.
They find dates in Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza); however, little do they know that they’re just as chaotic, which leads to one insane weekend for everyone involved.
This is the type of comedy where you have to apologize to the person next to you because of how madly your body will flail around from laughter. Everyone will leave the theatre looking like they were just in a UFC match.
It’s hard to recall some scenes because of how many times I closed my watering eyes while dying in my seat.
Story is loosely here to set up gags that take center stage, rapid-fire jokes that hit their target more than Steph Curry at the 3-point line.
A great aspect this film gets right that many don’t is how everyone feels like a real character, no matter how dysfunctional parts of his or her personality may be.
Mike and Dave could of easily been the man-children, seen in a million other films. Instead, they are just 20-somethings that can have silly sides to them like anyone, while having trying to have some shades of maturity when needed.
Something that can be irritating is when emotional scenes are derailed jokes, although funny, kept a barrier between the characters and myself whenever I started to connect.
Maybe being a bit too self aware a times are where the problems arise, as characters or situations get wrapped up too neatly in a couple lines of dialogue, looking at the audience as to say, “you know why you came you’re here,” like end of some Netflix date.
Efron has proved he has the chops for comedy, delivering great lines or reactions for DeVine to bounce off of.
Efron doesn’t really have a personality in the movie, one moment he’s the straight guy, then the next he’s his frat boy character from “Neighbors”. It was hard to decipher whom he was beyond, Zac Efron playing Zac Efron.
While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it sticks out when compared to others like Kendrick, who became the very likeable and neurotic Alice.
On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Plaza playing a wildly different character type from any other she done before, stealing almost every scene she’s in. Taitana is loud, brash and hysterically demented at times.
A scene in the film involving her and Mike talking about jealousy, where Tatiana reveals after cutting off the ponytail of a girl who was looking at her ex, she wore it around for a month as a warning to other women.
We all want someone to look at us like Anna Kendrick looks at that drink
This movies relies on its cast, the chemistry between everyone is what carries scenes. Even the supporting cast is firing on all cylinders, making scenes like the spa, worth the price of admission alone.
Comedies are easy to watch, but even harder to rewatch when you know the big surprise jokes coming. That just leaves a joke with not much to stand on after the surprise is gone.
“The Hangover” still holds up because of the journey and characters that populate its runtime.
Although some story is here, it’s more of a stage for its characters to stand on. The real show comes in the interactions between characters and their environment.
they have a distinct style don’t they?
Raunchy R-rated flicks have come been a dime a dozen the past decade, more common than hipster sighting in Wynwood or a sunrise outside my door.
Nothing is really shocking anymore, so it’s a great pleasure to see one rely on actual jokes over shock value again.
Is the movie reinventing the wheel for comedies? No, but it does most things so well, such as dialogue or likeable characters, making this a must-see summer movie.
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