Summer movies can offer a perfect escape from the stress of work and (especially for those of us in Texas) the blistering sun. Usually this means superheroes, explosions and the newest Michael Bay movie. But every now and then, a comedy like Wedding Crashers or The Hangover comes around and snatches summer glory from the likes of Captain America and the Ninja Turtles. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates had all of the ingredients to be that comedy, but it offers too few laughs and even less substance.
Wedding Dates is the somewhat true story of two brothers (Zac Efron and Adam DeVine) who, in true Zac Efron and Adam DeVine fashion, love to party and cause mayhem. But, with their sister Jeanie’s impending ceremony, it’s time for the boys to shape up and meet some “nice girls” to take to Hawaii for the ceremony.
Enter Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) who, as the script painstakingly reminds us, are basically the female versions of Mike and Dave. Alice was recently left at the altar, and Tatiana, her loose cannon best friend, is desperate to wrest her from a hard-partying funk. When Mike and Dave’s online date search goes viral and lands them on The Wendy Williams Show, all the girls see is an opportunity to vacay in Hawaii. Thus ensues an ecstasy-fueled weekend of hijinks and occasional hilarity, wherein the funniest character is actually none of the above.
Sam Richardson (Veep) is Jeanie’s fiancé Eric, a classic straight man who would’ve faded to the background in a lesser performer’s hands. But as everyone around him gives loud, look-at-me performances, Richardson plays Eric with an unassuming, whimsical charm that cracks a little bit more every time Mike and Dave do something stupid. Even though we know he will eventually blow up at the ridiculous foursome ruining his wedding weekend, his grin-and-bear-it attitude and inevitable meltdown make for some of the film’s best moments.
However, this is not to say that Efron, DeVine, Kendrick and Plaza completely drop the ball. Each performer knows their wheelhouse, and, even though DeVine’s shtick gets old well before the third act, his chemistry with Efron makes the bros likable enough to root for—and their take on Se7en’s famous “What’s in the box?!” scene will leave you in tears.
Kendrick and Plaza’s relationship is less fleshed-out, as writers Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien (Neighbors) focus much of their attention on Mike and Dave. This isn’t inherently bad, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that their efforts were half-baked. Neighbors worked because the characters were well written, likable and understandable. Here, our four co-leads are more like caricatures, or what older people think obnoxious millenials are like. Worse yet, the screenwriters barely scratch the surface on the film’s most interesting theme: dating in a messy, social media-driven world.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is good fun, but, unlike its title characters, it won’t provide you with the escape you deserve this summer.
