R-rated comedies don’t seem to crop up as much these days as they have in the past, but the quality of the R-rated comedy has been on the rise. While there are obviously a few duds that land every year, many of the new comedy films offer a fresh dose of laughs for the 18 and older crowd. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates isn’t the funniest film you’ll see this year, but it has enough laughs to keep you entertained throughout the 98 minute running time.
Zac Efron has had pretty good luck when it comes to comedies over the last few years. Neighbors was well-received, and a good number of people liked Dirty Grandpa and Neighbors 2. None of these films were life-changing, and they certainly don’t appeal to everyone, but those who watched the trailers and saw the film got exactly what they were expecting. The same can be said for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
If you enjoyed the trailers for Mike and Dave, that same kind of frat house humor is abundant throughout the film. While most of the best jokes are spoiled in the trailer, there’s enough left to keep audiences entertained when they sit down in theaters. It’s raunchy and sometimes a bit over the top, but it should be what most people have come to expect from the summer R-rated comedy films of the last few years.
Efron plays Dave Stangle, while Adam Devine plays his brother, Mike Stangle. The two are in search for dates to their sister’s wedding as mandated by the rest of their family. It seems the two brothers tend to wreck every family gathering and the hope is that respectable dates will temper their over the top antics. While Devine doesn’t have the same screen presence as Efron, he is able to hold his own in scenes with his date, Aubrey Plaza’s Tatiana. Plaza isn’t quite as charming in this film as she is in the old Parks and Rec TV series, but she works well opposite Devine in most of their scenes together.
Anna Kendrick plays Alice, Dave Stangle’s date for the wedding. Kendrick feels much more at home in this film compared to her Pitch Perfect co-star Devine. She has great on-screen chemistry with everyone in the film, and works particular well with the bride-to-be, Jeanie Stangle (Sugar Lyn Beard). There are also a few breakout performances, such as Alice Wetterlund as the flamboyant cousin Terry, and even a few key comedic moments from the rarely seen husband-to-be, Eric (Sam Richardson).
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates doesn’t break any new ground in the comedic genre. There are a decent amount of laughs and a lesson to be learned at the end of the film, but don’t go in expecting to see the best comedy of the last decade. Most of the cast adds their own brand of humor to the film, and the antics they get into are entertaining to watch, but the film comes to a screeching halt anytime it shifts to more serious discussions. At the very least, the trailer is a good depiction of what the full film is like, so if you had a laugh watching it, you should get the same enjoyment out of the film. However, if you didn’t like the trailer, you should definitely take a pass on the movie.
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About Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
Director: Jake Szymanski
Writers: Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien
Stars: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 Hour, 38 Minutes
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
