“Zac Efron’s really been cranking out the raunchy comedies this year. We’ve barely passed the halfway mark and we’ve already had Dirty Grandpa, Neighbors 2, and now Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. Despite taking top billing, he was probably the least utilized of our fab four (Mike, Dave, and their dates), but this is probably the best of this year’s offering from our smokin’ hot golden boy.
Here goes the summary. Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) are the ultimately bro-y-est brothers to have ever lived, and have amassed quite the reputation for causing trouble at family gatherings. When their little sister gets married, they are ordered to bring a couple of nice girls as their wedding dates, in the hopes that the ladies will help keep the boys and their antics in check. One viral Craigslist post and national talk show appearance later, they choose Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza). Little do they know that these gals are in fact even badder than the boys. Shenanigans and hilarity ensue.
Weddings tend to be a great backdrop for comedies, and the golden standard for raunchy nuptial comedy would have to be Wedding Crashers. I’d say that Mike and Dave has come about as close to nearing that as anything we’ve seen in the decade since Wilson and Vaughn first crashed. Granted, Mike and Dave still have a ways to go, but they’re well on the right path.
For me, I felt like this movie best gave Adam Devine and Anna Kendrick opportunities to shine. Efron did little more than stand there looking pretty (not necessarily a bad thing), and we’ve seen Plaza be bad plenty before. Devine may have been playing the same sorta loud dumbass bro that he typically does, but this time he carried most of the film. He was right on the edge of just right and too much, so those who have a low tolerance for his tomfoolery should approach with caution. The important takeaway is that he is capable of carrying a comedy, and hopefully he’ll get a chance to stray from his type casting and lead something really good some day. I also call out Kendrick because we’re used to seeing her as the sweet and cute little good girl. This film gave her an opportunity to really break bad, and it looked good on her. About time too, because she has been getting stuck in her type, so I really hope that this will open up some more opportunities for variety.
Right after watching, a friend asked me if this movie was worth heading to the theater. My answer is that it depends on the urgency of seeing it for you. It’s certainly worth watching (if it interests you) at some point, be it at the theater, on Netflix, or from a Black Friday bargain bin. However, I don’t necessarily think it’s worth highly prioritizing if you weren’t already inclined to do so. But if you need a little dirty comedy in your life right now, or have to get your fix of one of our four troublemakers, then by all means go now!
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n”