Dave Need Wedding Dates
Zac Efron’s career has been defined by stereotypical roles - whether they’re Disney related or dirty comedy related. You may know him from a variety of specific roles, but these days you’ll only find him taking part in raunchy comedies that constantly give him ample opportunities to take her shirt off and parade around like an animal attraction in a zoo (it’s hard to believe he wasn’t cast in Magic Mike).
Sure, that might be great for his admirers, and don’t get me wrong, Efron has established solid acting credentials - but that doesn’t change the fact that these immature films that he constantly takes part in are getting horribly redundant. He can be the nice guy (Dirty Grandpa) or he can be the enemy (Neighbors) - either way, his characters’ make-up is always the same old hash.
In the comedy, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, directed by Jake Szymanski (feature length debut), Adam DeVine and Zac Efron stars as Mike and Dave Stangle (respectively) - two brothers that have a habit of riling each other up at parties. Their antics have been so …show more content…
disturbing that their parents, Burt (Stephen Root) and Rosie (Stephanie Faracy), require them to bring wedding dates to their sister, Jeanie’s (Stephanie Beard), wedding.
As a result, Mike and Dave decide to put an ad on Craig’s List, looking for two nice girls to accompany them to Hawaii to be their wedding dates - expenses paid. Women come out of the woodwork trying to be their dates, however, they eventually settle on Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza), two party girls that lie their way into gaining the invitation.
Once in Hawaii, the girls revert to the partying ways - to the surprise of both Mike and Dave. Unfortunately, the whole situation becomes a vicious cycle of impropriety - ultimately leading to unforeseen tension between Jeanie and her fiancé, Eric (Sam Richardson), and the eventual canceling of their wedding. And naturally, it’s Mike and Dave that are placed with the blame.
For the most part, I enjoy Zac Efron’s roles in these gutter-diving comedies, mostly because that style of humor suits me. But, there’s very little about this film that peaked my interest - stemming from the abundance of stupidity that consumes each of the four characters of which this plot is focused on. And, trust me when I say - it takes quite a lot to make me shake my head with complete and utter disdain.
In a comedy such as this, you might as well throw any emphasis on acting quality right out the window - as it doesn’t take long for Zac Efron and Adam DeVine to go overboard with their unrealistic enthusiasm for these characters. That’s a nice way of saying the idiotic intentions and preposterous actions of their characters is so exaggerated that they’re rarely funny - and are closer to being more sad and embarrassing than anything else.
If you’ve seen Zac Efron in any number of his recent films, like Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising or That Awkward Moment, not much changes from one role to the next. To be fair to Efron, he has a style all his own, not to mention a marketable physique. Still, that doesn’t negate the fact that his characters, including Dave, are about as bland and one-dimensional as a cardboard cut-out.
Equally as tedious to endure is Adam DeVine’s portrayal of Mike - a dim-witted character that is eccentric, egotistical, and about as close to a typical, sex-driven male as you could possibly imagine. This is the sort of character that gives men a bad name, one that is not entirely dissimilar to those two fun-loving party-goers in Wedding Crashers. But, at least the leads in Wedding Crashers had substantive layers to them - because you can’t say the same for Mike and Dave.
Then, we come to Alice and Tatiana - two drunken, drug popping gold diggers that give humanity a bad name. Based on her roles in Dirty Grandpa and The To Do List, I’d expect Aubrey Plaza to sign-on to play such a degenerate character, but seeing Anna Kendrick involved, considering she maintains a relatively wholesome Hollywood image, is quite a surprise, to say the least.
Regardless, nether Kendrick, nor Plaza, standout - although, it would have been tough for any actress to add luster to these two dullards. The film is not without its star, though, and it turns out to be the on-screen bride, portrayed by Stephanie Beard. Honestly, Beard is only barely worth being labeled the stand-out and is only dubbed as much because she's in the film’s funniest scene - that being a rather unorthodox, albeit hilarious massage sequence.
Aside from that one particular scene, this film is filled with a plethora of over-exaggerated attempts to make viewers laugh - evident in the sauna scene, and basically every other scene that includes Cousin Terry, portrayed forgettably by Alice Wetterlund. The whole drug sequence, where Kendrick and Beard’s characters are on ecstasy, is equally as woeful.
With that said, this is a film is full of humor that you’d expect to see in Dumb & Dumber or virtually any movie starring Will Ferrell and/or Vince Vaughn. Another terrific example of ridiculousness is the wedding reception's musical performances, also known as a preposterous excuse for the stars of this movie to get up on a stage and randomly sing. Obviously, Hendricks, Efron, and DeVine have strong voices - so there’s nothing like exploiting that characteristic, seemingly straight out of Pitch Perfect…
It’s not hard to knock on and pick out the flaws found throughout Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - a film that is based on a true story (just shake your head and move on).
Thus, it’s way more fun to knock this film than to pick out the brief (and I do mean brief) glimmers of light that barely manage to sneak through the dark void that is this unfunny monstrosity. Who the more diminishing actor is - out of Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza, is clearly a roll of the dice. The acting is exasperating - as is the general film itself. There’s nothing special about the plot, and if there’s only one meaningful thing to take away from this film - it’s that this is a perfect example of how to make a dumb, artless movie. In the end, I implore you to avoid this film - even if you - as I did - thought the movie trailer looked funny. You’ll be doing yourself and your pocketbook a monumental
favor.
Sure, that might be great for his admirers, and don’t get me wrong, Efron has established solid acting credentials - but that doesn’t change the fact that these immature films that he constantly takes part in are getting horribly redundant. He can be the nice guy (Dirty Grandpa) or he can be the enemy (Neighbors) - either way, his characters’ make-up is always the same old hash.
In the comedy, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, directed by Jake Szymanski (feature length debut), Adam DeVine and Zac Efron stars as Mike and Dave Stangle (respectively) - two brothers that have a habit of riling each other up at parties. Their antics have been so …show more content…
disturbing that their parents, Burt (Stephen Root) and Rosie (Stephanie Faracy), require them to bring wedding dates to their sister, Jeanie’s (Stephanie Beard), wedding.
As a result, Mike and Dave decide to put an ad on Craig’s List, looking for two nice girls to accompany them to Hawaii to be their wedding dates - expenses paid. Women come out of the woodwork trying to be their dates, however, they eventually settle on Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza), two party girls that lie their way into gaining the invitation.
Once in Hawaii, the girls revert to the partying ways - to the surprise of both Mike and Dave. Unfortunately, the whole situation becomes a vicious cycle of impropriety - ultimately leading to unforeseen tension between Jeanie and her fiancé, Eric (Sam Richardson), and the eventual canceling of their wedding. And naturally, it’s Mike and Dave that are placed with the blame.
For the most part, I enjoy Zac Efron’s roles in these gutter-diving comedies, mostly because that style of humor suits me. But, there’s very little about this film that peaked my interest - stemming from the abundance of stupidity that consumes each of the four characters of which this plot is focused on. And, trust me when I say - it takes quite a lot to make me shake my head with complete and utter disdain.
In a comedy such as this, you might as well throw any emphasis on acting quality right out the window - as it doesn’t take long for Zac Efron and Adam DeVine to go overboard with their unrealistic enthusiasm for these characters. That’s a nice way of saying the idiotic intentions and preposterous actions of their characters is so exaggerated that they’re rarely funny - and are closer to being more sad and embarrassing than anything else.
If you’ve seen Zac Efron in any number of his recent films, like Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising or That Awkward Moment, not much changes from one role to the next. To be fair to Efron, he has a style all his own, not to mention a marketable physique. Still, that doesn’t negate the fact that his characters, including Dave, are about as bland and one-dimensional as a cardboard cut-out.
Equally as tedious to endure is Adam DeVine’s portrayal of Mike - a dim-witted character that is eccentric, egotistical, and about as close to a typical, sex-driven male as you could possibly imagine. This is the sort of character that gives men a bad name, one that is not entirely dissimilar to those two fun-loving party-goers in Wedding Crashers. But, at least the leads in Wedding Crashers had substantive layers to them - because you can’t say the same for Mike and Dave.
Then, we come to Alice and Tatiana - two drunken, drug popping gold diggers that give humanity a bad name. Based on her roles in Dirty Grandpa and The To Do List, I’d expect Aubrey Plaza to sign-on to play such a degenerate character, but seeing Anna Kendrick involved, considering she maintains a relatively wholesome Hollywood image, is quite a surprise, to say the least.
Regardless, nether Kendrick, nor Plaza, standout - although, it would have been tough for any actress to add luster to these two dullards. The film is not without its star, though, and it turns out to be the on-screen bride, portrayed by Stephanie Beard. Honestly, Beard is only barely worth being labeled the stand-out and is only dubbed as much because she's in the film’s funniest scene - that being a rather unorthodox, albeit hilarious massage sequence.
Aside from that one particular scene, this film is filled with a plethora of over-exaggerated attempts to make viewers laugh - evident in the sauna scene, and basically every other scene that includes Cousin Terry, portrayed forgettably by Alice Wetterlund. The whole drug sequence, where Kendrick and Beard’s characters are on ecstasy, is equally as woeful.
With that said, this is a film is full of humor that you’d expect to see in Dumb & Dumber or virtually any movie starring Will Ferrell and/or Vince Vaughn. Another terrific example of ridiculousness is the wedding reception's musical performances, also known as a preposterous excuse for the stars of this movie to get up on a stage and randomly sing. Obviously, Hendricks, Efron, and DeVine have strong voices - so there’s nothing like exploiting that characteristic, seemingly straight out of Pitch Perfect…
It’s not hard to knock on and pick out the flaws found throughout Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - a film that is based on a true story (just shake your head and move on).
Thus, it’s way more fun to knock this film than to pick out the brief (and I do mean brief) glimmers of light that barely manage to sneak through the dark void that is this unfunny monstrosity. Who the more diminishing actor is - out of Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza, is clearly a roll of the dice. The acting is exasperating - as is the general film itself. There’s nothing special about the plot, and if there’s only one meaningful thing to take away from this film - it’s that this is a perfect example of how to make a dumb, artless movie. In the end, I implore you to avoid this film - even if you - as I did - thought the movie trailer looked funny. You’ll be doing yourself and your pocketbook a monumental
favor.