'Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates' Is 'Astoundingly Sloppy' and 'Occasionally Hilarious'
Get the review of Zac Efron's "filthy" new film.
— -- Starring Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza
Rated R
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
Loosely based on the story of Dave and Mike Stangle, the brothers who famously posted an ad on Craigslist looking for dates to their sister’s wedding, "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" stars Zac Efron as Dave and Adam Devine as Mike. In real life, the wedding was in Saratoga, New York, but this is a movie where everything based on a true story plays with the facts to serve the narrative, so the movie takes place in Hawaii. Also, Dave and Mike, at least in this movie, are somewhat moronic.
Dave and Mike have a history of destroying family affairs they attend. So during a meeting -- an intervention, really -- their family demands they take dates to their sister’s wedding, hoping to prevent the boys from hitting on the single women and possibly ruining a special day.
The brothers place an ad on Craigslist, which goes viral and they wind up on "The Wendy Williams Show," which is seen by unemployed besties and roommates Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza). They decide they want a free trip to Hawaii and decide to charm the brothers into being their dates by lying. About everything.
Once in Hawaii, it’s not the brothers who wreak havoc, but Alice and Tatiana, which leads to a few terrific, twisted sight gags. It also allows the supporting cast to shine, particularly Sugar Lyn Beard as the bride, Jeanie Stangle, and Kumail Nanjiani as a masseuse who gives Jeanie a very special massage.
"Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" is filthy and, on occasion, hilarious, with a lot of funny people executing some terrific physical humor and a few inspired, shocking jokes. Then there are the shocking jokes that simply don’t land, coupled with incredibly shoddy production values. There were extras looking at the camera, continuity issues, and some insanely bad dialogue looping. It’s astoundingly sloppy, like something you might find in a student film, certainly not what you should find in a movie with talent of this caliber.