Review – Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
The summer 2016 movie season has been a solid one, but the one thing it has been missing is a great comedy. The best one we got so far was The Nice Guys, but that movie had a body count as high as its laugh count. It needed one that was as fun as it was funny. With Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, we finally got the comedy that we needed this summer. It is a raunchy, relentlessly funny movie with a lot of heart.
Mike and Dave Stangle (Adam Devine, Zac Efron) are two hard partying brothers that seem to ruin every family gathering they attend. Upon the request of their parents and sister, the two must find dates for their sister’s wedding in Hawaii so that they behave. That is when two degenerate girls, Alice and Tatiana (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) take the opportunity to clean up their act and take a free vacation. However, when the four of them get to Hawaii, the trip doesn’t go as planned and things get a bit crazy.
The core four of Devine, Efron, Kendrick, and Plaza are all on point. Each one is hilarious in their own way and perfectly compliment one another. Efron is starting to become one of the best comedic actors in the game today, with his continued success with the Neighbors films, along with other comedies where he dominates. It’s nice to see his career blossom from singing heartthrob to comedian. Kendrick is the usual quirky Kendrick, just a little ditzier, and Devine is the Devine we love in Workaholics. Plaza was my personal favorite in the film. Usually very dry and awkward, she really lets loose in the film. With her urbanized accent, no fucks attitude, and the way she switched from normal Tatiana to “school teacher” Tatiana is the best I have ever seen Plaza.
The film reminded me a lot of one of my favorite comedies of all-time, Wedding Crashers (2005). Both films are about tortured, self-absorbed souls who’s actions hurt those around them, yet they continue to do these actions. It’s also about a brotherhood and one growing up and apart from the other. That’s what makes Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates better than most comedies today. Sure, it is absolutely hilarious, with some amazing one-liners that I wish I wrote down because of how funny they are. But, it’s the amount of heart in the film, and that the writers and director focused on the characters just as much as the comedy. The plot does get a tad cliche towards the end, but what isn’t now a days? With great characters and constant laughs, the cliches are forgiven.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is as refreshing of a movie summer 2016 has to offer. The laughs never end, the characters are great, it has a lot of heart, and it’s just the right amount of vulgar. As far as pure comedies go, this might be the best one of 2016.
MY RATING – 3.5/4
Did you see Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates? What did you think? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.