Wedding Crashers

"Good"

Wedding Crashers Review


About 20 minutes before the credits roll in "WeddingCrashers," something goes very wrong. It feels as if a drunken scriptdoctor stumbled into the party, demanded to know where all the clicheshad gone and insisted they be put right back where they belong.

Soon there are interrupted weddings, "I tried to tellyou but couldn't" apologies and an avalanche of other plot machinationsthat come close to ruining what is otherwise the bawdiest, most consistentlyhilarious comedy so far this year.

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have an ad-lib-happy, almostHope-and-Crosby-like chemistry as a pair of buddies -- ironically talenteddivorce mediators by profession -- who spend their free time attendingweddings of people they don't know to score with girls they'll never seeagain. Almost the entire first reel of the movie is something akin to afilmmaking miracle -- one long, perfectly-tuned montage sequence of variousethnic weddings that just keeps getting funnier and funnier as it mixestoasts, dances, flirtations, made-up war stories, fake tears, and prettygirls caught up in the romance of the day and jumping our heroes' bones.

Story proper kicks in when the boys dare to crash "theKentucky Derby of weddings" -- the Secretary of State's eldest daughteris getting hitched -- and Wilson lays eyes on the middle daughter (talented,bright-eyed Everygirl knockout Rachel McAdams) as she's quietly snickeringthrough her sister's corny self-written vows.

Instantly smitten and hoping to woo her away from an unfortunatelyHollywood-typical preppie snob boyfriend (Bradley Cooper), he finaglesthe pair a post-reception invite to join the family at their Hamptons estate.Vaughn gets dragged along much to his consternation, as he's been saddledwith the youngest daughter (relative newcomer and born scene-stealer IslaFisher), a perky-poo, clingy, sexually insatiable borderline psycho. "Don'tever leave me," she coos with her nose cutely crinkled, "...'causeI'd fiiind you."

Reformed sitcom writers Steve Faber and Bob Fisher letloose with a slew of funny scenes -- the girls' frustrated lush of a mother(Jane Seymour) drops her top and comes on to Wilson, the girls' angry black-sheepbrother (Ron Canada) drops trou and comes on to Vaughn, and there's a veryuncomfortable booze-filled breakfast the next morning with the family'spriest (Henry Gibson).

These scenes are boosted by the savvy helming of DavidDobkin (who directed Wilson in "ShanghaiKnights" and Vaughn in "Clay Pigeons"), who knows when to get out ofthe way of his stars' sidesplitting deadpan performances. (The girls' politicallypowerful father, by the way, is played by Christopher Walken -- arguablythe best actor in the world at finding the hidden amusement in sheer intimidation.)

Dobkin also finds a good balance between the movie's oftenribald humor and the unexpected earnestness of the central romance -- aidedin no small part by Wilson's winkingly wicked charm and the irresistiblynatural McAdams' gift for both yuks (her deleted scenes from "TheHot Chick" run rings around star Rob Schneider)and starry-eyed amour (she made the treacly "TheNotebook" worth watching).

But it's the Vaughn-Wilson chemistry that makes "WeddingCrashers" sing with consistent laughter. It's moments like the openingscene, in which they reign in an ugly fight between divorcees Dwight Yoakamand Rebecca DeMornay over custody of frequent flyer miles. It's their boredomand wedding experience leading to bets on whether or not a bride will cryor what Bible verse a bridesmaid will quote in a toast. It's the increasinglyirritated glances they trade as Wilson drags out their chancy charade,and it's the hilarious left-field twist in Vaughn's attempts to escapethe besotted sister's clutches.

Unfortunately, the last act lets all the fresh air outof this tangy comedy and replaces it with formulaic tripe and lazy writingthat insults the characters' intelligence (and the audience's as well),and even ignores some very basic plot points. The poor finish isn't enoughto ruin "Wedding Crashers," but it crosses the finish line witha pronounced limp.



Wedding Crashers

Facts and Figures

Genre: Comedies

Run time: 119 mins

In Theaters: Friday 15th July 2005

Box Office USA: $209.2M

Box Office Worldwide: $285.2M

Budget: $40M

Distributed by: New Line Cinema

Production compaines: New Line Cinema

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Fresh: 137 Rotten: 45

IMDB: 7.0 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: as John Beckwith, as Jeremy Grey, as Secretary William Cleary, as Claire Cleary, as Gloria Cleary, as Kathleen Cleary, as Zachary 'Sack' Lodge, as Father O'Neil, as Todd Cleary, as Trap, Ron Canada as Randolph, Ellen Dow as Grandma Mary Cleary, as Mr. Kroeger, as Mrs. Kroeger, Jennifer Alden as Christina Cleary, as Chazz's Mom, as Chazz Reinhold, as Vivian

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews