Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root, Stephanie Faracy, Sugar Lyn Beard, Sam Richardson, Alice Wetterland, Kumail Nanjiani, Jake Johnson
Directed by: Jake Szymanski
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two trouble-making brothers (Zac Efron, Adam Devine) are required by their parents to bring dates to their sister's wedding. Their dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) seem wholesome, but are hiding their hard-partying real selves.

Review:

Tim: I probably liked Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates more than I should have, but I found the film to be consistently funny and entertaining. It's not a classic comedy, it doesn't offer much new, but it delivers the laughs and I had fun watching it. I consider this a solid, worthwhile comedy.

The movie is loosely based on real events, in that two brothers advertised for dates to accompany them on a destination wedding for their sister in Hawaii. That's fine, it's an interesting idea, but I'm almost certain this film has nothing in common with the real story. This movie borrowed an idea, but it's a complete work of fiction. And I'm fine with that. The story isn't what makes this film worthwhile. The story is about average for a comedy.

What starts to separate the film is the cast. I've increasingly warmed up to Zac Efron and he delivers another funny performance here. He's likeable and charismatic and is able to hold the audience's attention. He toplines the cast and does well in the lead role. I really like Adam Devine- I think the guy is just funny and it worked for him to be the crazier brother. He embraces that role and works so effectively in it. He's so funny and allowing him free reign created some great antics. It worked so well to allow Efron to be the slightly more stable brother. Their interactions were incredible- I loved the dynamic between the two and how they worked together. Efron and Devine really made this movie worthwhile and I'd watch them together in just about anything.

The actresses were a little better on paper than in the film. I'm a huge fan of Anna Kendrick, but I thought she was only decent here. It was a little bit of an odd role and she did the best she could, but something just felt a little off with her performance. Still, she's not bad at all in the role. Aubrey Plaza felt a bit worse to me. I don't know if her performance just felt forced, but it didn't feel authentic. I was surprised that Kendrick and Plaza didn't work more effectively together. The scenes with just the two of them were among the slowest of the film. They really needed to be partnered with Efron or Devine for things to pick up.

One of the funniest scenes occurs early in the film, when Mike and Dave are confronted by their parents. I laughed so hard at this scene and it remained the highlight of the film for me. It would have been better had the best scene occurred later, but still, it was just so well written and perfectly acted by Devine and Efron. Luckily, although the best scene comes early, there's plenty of humorous moments throughout the film. Honestly, I laughed quite a bit at this movie. That's the recipe for success right there for a comedy. It helps that the two leads are likeable. As a whole, this was a funny movie. There are a few scenes that drag a bit, but for the most part, the laughs come fairly frequently.

I didn't have the highest expectations for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. I've seen too many bad comedies that look like this. Fortunately, director Jake Szymaski (making his feature film directorial debut) leverages the strengths of the cast to tell a funny, entertaining story.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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