So during a meeting – an intervention, really – their family demands they take dates to their sister’s wedding, hoping to prevent the boys from hitting on the single women and possibly ruining a special day.
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Wedding Dates would love to be a millennial Wedding Crashers (there’s even a reference made), but the script from Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien (the Neighbors franchise) doesn’t quite get there, sticking to an occasionally weary-making bombardment of mayhem, dirty jokes and wise-assery.
“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” opens in theaters this weekend and by the looks of it, the film intends to earn every inch of its hard-R rating. They might not be the “good girls” the guys are looking for, but they’re willing to fake it for an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii. After a series of awful trial dates, they meet Tatiana (Plaza) and Alice (Kendrick), who have neither good values nor good (or any) jobs. Throw in some ecstasy and dick jokes, and you’ve got yourself a comedy.
The brothers place an ad on Craigslist, which goes viral and they wind up on The Wendy Williams Show, which is seen by unemployed besties and roommates Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza). Though she’s the best of the leads, her career has gone from Up in the Air to up in smoke.
One of those cut scenes has Dave and Mike crying, coming to terms with what shitty, selfish people they are, and the spirit of his own words so moves Mike that he salutes and starts singing the national anthem with tears in his eyes. In that sense, Mike, Dave, Alice, and Tatiana all belong together.
That said, I have to again go back to the strength of Plaza and Kendrick’s performances, which add yet more impact to the realization that some of our best film comics today – think Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig – are actresses who often outdo their male counterparts in delivering really, really amusing big-screen moments. He stages a number of very amusing scenes, particularly a sensual massage sequence involving the bride-to-be and a male masseuse hilariously played by Kumail Nanjiani. We all know where the characters are going to end up and what’s going to be learned. However, it does avoid several familiar tropes you might expect from a comedy like this.
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Meanwhile, we also meet friends Alice and Tatiana. The absolute best bit involves a four-wheeler incident, although I won’t go into detail for your sake. “Did you just push your tits up and say feminism?” their boss asks. With great talent in front of and behind the camera, it’s a blessed union of comedy.
