Review of MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES: Goofy Goodwill

September 16, 2016

There had been so many raunchy comedies about weddings, from "The Wedding Crashers" to "Hangover" to "Bridesmaids" to "The Wedding Ringer". As if this genre had not yet been done to death, here comes another one that makes fun of the sacrament of Matrimony and the madcap circus that usually goes on before and on that fateful date. 

Mike and Dave Stangle are two childish brothers from a well-to-do who rile up all the family parties they attend with their foolish antics. Since their youngest sister Jeanie's wedding day is coming up very soon, their parents order the boys to find themselves respectable good girls to bring as their wedding dates. Since the wedding is to be held in Hawaii, their Internet post about their search for dates immediately goes viral. 

Meanwhile, cheap-dressing and drunkard best friends Tatiana and Alice see the boys interviewed on television and see that this is their big chance to get a Hawaiian vacation for free. They come up with an elaborate plan of deception to snag the boys' attention and succeed to be chosen. However, when they reach Hawaii, it seems these uncouth girls may actually mean more trouble for the wedding than the boys.

So once again, we have annoying drunk or Ecstasy-popping characters going to a wedding, so we brace for the big disaster to come. As expected, this film is a haphazard mishmash of all the raunchy wedding comedies that came before it. Unfortunately, despite having its share of squirmy and uncomfortable moments, this was less funny than the others with many of its jokes falling flat. 

As Dave, Zac Efron could never seem to get away from the juvenile fratboy persona he had been portraying in such films as "That Awkward Moment", "Neighbors" and just recently "Dirty Grandpa". His upcoming film next year is a comedy version of the TV series "Baywatch" which does not sound too promising as well. He needs to start moving forward in his acting career as his face and body may not be enough to keep his popularity afloat.

Adam DeVine is a puzzling comedian. He seems pleasant enough by face, and is really an energetic dynamo on screen. However, he keeps portraying these irresponsible annoying characters, like he did on "Pitch Perfect" and its sequel, and then again here as Mike. I hope he gets the chance to portray other roles in future projects. I actually liked the idea of DeVine and Efron as brothers but their interaction onscreen could have been better executed, as some looked more awkward than funny. 

Despite her Oscar-nominated turn in "Up in the Air," I feel Anna Kendrick has an uncomfortable screen presence in most of her films, including "The Twilight Saga" or "Pitch Perfect". But here as Alice, she felt totally miscast from the get-go with her stringy wig and skanky clothes totally clashing with her seemingly aloof personality. She and Efron do share a moment of romantic magic spark, but all too brief.

Since I do not watch "Parks and Recreation" on TV, I had only seen Aubrey Plaza once before and that was in another raunchy comedy "Bad Grandpa" (the same one with Efron) basically playing the same loose party girl character like Tatiana was in this one. I'd say Plaza's type of comedy is an acquired taste, relying on her pouty badass-girl look to deliver zingers in a cool deadpan manner.

The two most audacious sight gags (that most likely earned this movie an R-18 rating from the local MTRCB) do not even involve these four main characters. A squeaky-voiced actress with the unwieldy name Sugar Lyn Beard plays the role of Jeanie the bride. Her "happy" massage session and her surprising reveal of body hair were bold to say the least! An actress named Alice Wetterland also makes a daring appearance as Mike's nemesis, their lesbian Cousin Terry, who also has a crush on Tatiana.

For those in the mood for a crazy time and game for a little raunchy fun, this film may actually be right up your alley. The goofy goodwill of the two male leads do succeed to hold it up for the most part. The girls are too schizophrenic with their sudden mood and personality swings to be likable. This film has a trailer that practically gives away the whole story, so try not to watch it. Or if you want to save yourself from watching this one in full, maybe the trailer is enough to see the best bits. 5/10.