I was originally not going to even bother with a formal review of this movie. Seeing as how I'm a tremendous fan of the main cast, it seemed like a natural move to check it out, even though I really didn't know what to expect quality-wise as I bought my ticket. What followed was a pure and simple screwball comedy; subtle and nuanced it was most certainly not, but damned if I wasn't laughing like an idiot for most of the runtime.
The premise is just the kind of Hollywood absurd to perfectly compliment the personalities of our main characters. Twenty-something bros Mike and Dave Stangle (Adam Devine and Zac Efron) have a history of ruining family gatherings with their fratboy antics. In a desperate plea to keep them in line, their parents demand that they each bring a date to their sister's upcoming wedding in Hawaii (the logic here being that some nice, well-spoken ladies should keep the terrible twosome preoccupied so the event can go off without a hitch, rather than devolve into liquor-fueled debauchery). The brothers decide to create an ad on Craigslist, which attracts the attention of similarly immature gal pals Alice and Tatiana (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza); recently unemployed and looking for something fun to do, they decide to take on the guise of "good girls" in hopes of accompanying these two naive dopes on an all expenses paid trip to a tropical paradise. Naturally, they end up being chosen and hilarity ensues.
Really, the main reason I'd decided to write this review was because of an article in the New York Times by critic Manohla Dargis. Far be it from me, a humble blogger who makes minimum wage, to think that I have the expertise or experience to question the New York Times, but I found myself disagreeing pretty strongly with Ms. Dargis' review. It criticizes the plot (which is fair; it's as predictable as they come), but also cites the humor as being a series of "thuddingly leaden, patchily strung together bits in service to the underlying theme: Mike and Dave’s fear of sexualized women." The article goes on to state that the film is sexist in its depiction of women, though it doesn't really go into much detail how it does so. While there are a number of gags based around the immature bros' reactions to women embracing their sexuality (such as Mike's fairly justified horror at witnessing his little sister receive a particularly blissful massage from Kumail Nanjiani), I feel as though this is ignoring the greater themes of the movie; namely themes of insecurity and immaturity, and how these traits go hand-in-hand, regardless of one's gender.
Mike and Dave are not positive characters. Neither are Alice and Tatiana. They're impulsive, manipulative, excessively bohemian twenty-somethings with no real direction in their lives. Mike is subconsciously holding Dave back, insisting that he go into the liquor business with him under the guise of "bros sticking together" and Dave complies out of a sense of duty and gratitude towards his older sibling (despite his true passions lying in the realm of drawing and illustration). It's a similar situation with Kendrick and Plaza; Alice was left at the altar and Tatiana has assumed the role of her "you need to get your mind off him and have some fun" gal pal. Alice stays with Tatiana because living it up with her best friend keeps her mind off of the comically-painful ghosts of her past; meanwhile Tatiana subconsciously feeds off of Alice's vulnerability out of a desire to feel needed. The film shows two common examples of well-intentioned but toxic cycles that can emerge from the "bro/gal pal" dichotomy; in order to grow as people, it is sometimes necessary to break free from our comfort zones and take a long, hard look at ourselves.
As horrible and selfish as these characters appear, this is of course a redemption arc (much like Scott Pilgrim); our protagonists start out wholly misguided, justifying their actions through a series of mental gymnastics, shifting the blame on everyone and everything but themselves. As immature as the humor is, the underlying theme shows that literally anyone can be a manipulative jerk, no matter how innocent or pure their intentions may be. Despite how transparently selfish their actions are, the main quartet all share the same flaw; at their core, they're wholly insecure and choose to cover up these insecurities with a litany of bombastic antics meant to enchant and delight those around them. In reality, these antics have exactly the opposite effect, but admitting that would mean coming to terms with ones own faults and flaws, which is something that these four simply cannot bring themselves to do. Truthfully, I feel as though the message of this movie is actually quite progressive, considering all the raunchy bro-humor found within; this is a movie that says that anyone can feel insecure and act immature as a result, regardless of gender. Toxic behaviors are not exclusive to guys OR gals; everyone has the potential to be a misguided jerk. It even ducks the Hollywood cliché of having our formerly fun-loving simpletons become bland, responsible adults in the end; by the time the credits roll, all four of our protagonists are still the goofball party animals we've come to know thus far, just with a much stronger sense of empathy and understanding for both themselves and those around them. It adopts an almost Cat in the Hat-esque message of "it's alright to have fun, so long as you aren't hurting anyone". The plot is predictable and pedestrian, but the message behind it is anything but.
I know I've said very little about the comedy in this comedy movie, but that's because there's honestly not much to say. Laughs came hard and consistently and I had a fantastic time with it. It feels as though at least half of the dialog was improvised to some degree (to the point that I could probably point out which scenes were scripted and which ones weren't), so if you're a fan of anyone in the main cast, you'll likely enjoy yourself. Comedy is a very hit-or-miss genre, depending on the viewer, but I found everyone here to have superb chemistry, bouncing an infinite number of quotable lines off one another at a rapid-fire pace. While the quartet of Devine, Efron, Kendrick, and Plaza definitely made this movie for me, I must also compliment Sugar Lyn Beard and Alice Wetterlund (who played Mike and Dave's sister Jeanie and cousin Terry, respectively); I'd never seen these actresses in anything before, but their hilarious performances definitely captured my attention here. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is hardly groundbreaking or original, but at the end of the day, the default goal of a comedy is to illicit laughter from an audience. I can only speak for myself, but I found that it completely and utterly accomplished that goal. It's ribald and silly and I had a smile on my face the whole time, check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment