Jennica Martin
The first thing you’d expect after seeing the trailer for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a raunchy comedy about two crazy brothers and two wild best friends causing utter chaos at a wedding. That is exactly what this film is. After their family warns them that they must bring dates to their sister’s wedding, Mike and Dave go searching for two nice girls to please their family. Two best friends, Alice and Tatiana, see this as an opportunity for a free vacation to Hawaii, so they transform themselves from hot messes into nice girls to impress Mike and Dave. Naturally, Alice and Tatiana can only maintain their façade for so long and Mike and Dave’s competitive natures get to the girls’ heads, resulting only in disaster.
Despite the raunchiness, the subtly offensive jokes and some majorly uncomfortable scenes, there was surprisingly some heart in the film. The film really delves into the love between family and friends, with an overall message that practically screams “Love conquers all.” Whether the love be familial, romantic or platonic, it’s clear in this film that without love, the characters would’ve never been able to dig themselves out of the mess they created.
The best thing about this film was definitely the hilarious, brotherly dynamic between Mike and Dave, played by Adam Devine and Zac Efron. It’s quite obvious that half of the audience was there to see Zac Efron shirtless, but his comedic pacing was fantastic and left everyone laughing at every scene he was in. Efron’s humor would’ve gone over everyone’s heads without Adam Devine, who not only complemented but also elevated his humor. Their lines and interactions during the wedding rehearsal scene left me crying with laughter. Together, they formed a perfect comedic duo, truly deserving a film titled after them.
Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza brought an entirely different dynamic to the film, as best friends Alice and Tatiana. These characters cause some of the most jaw-dropping moments in the film that could only be characterized as uncomfortably hilarious. The extreme measures they took to impress Mike and Dave toward the beginning of the film was one of their most hilarious moments. Not only did Kendrick and Plaza manage to play characters completely different from themselves, but they also managed to bring their real-life friendship on screen. The friendship and loyalty between Alice and Tatiana is heartwarming and probably the most important relationship next to Mike and Dave’s.
There were a lot of other fun characters, but the one that surprised me the most was the bride Jeanie, played by Sugar Lyn Beard. She was almost always caught in the most ridiculous situations and also involved in what I’d rank as the craziest scene in the entire film. The perfect contrast to her ridiculous moments was her relationship with her boring but lovable husband-to-be Eric, played by Sam Richardson. It was the most innocent, yet the most light-hearted part of the movie. I hope to see both of these actors more in the future because their characters were fun to watch.
Was this the best comedy film ever made? No. But I have to admit, it certainly was an entertaining movie to watch. It’s the perfect movie to watch with your friends in the middle of summer when you just want to watch something that you can laugh at rather than think about. I should emphasize that this is movie to watch with your friends, not your family. If you want to watch something crazy and exciting that’ll cheer you up, I suggest that you watch Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.