Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

2016 is no stranger to great comedies as I've mentioned several times so far this year. It's been a very pleasant surprise in a summer that's been mostly full of big-budget disappointments so far (other than Civil War obvs!). 

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates has been on my radar for quite some time now, mainly because they started previews for this one many months ago. On top of that, its trailer seemed to be attached to EVERY movie I've seen in the last few months -- it wouldn't surprise me if I've seen this trailer at least 20 times. I'm not complaining necessarily as I think the main trailer is hilarious and, now that I've seen the film, it's clear that it was crafted to hide most of the film's better jokes and gags. 

Hoping that it would live up to expectations but expecting to be disappointed, I was eager to see if 2016 could really add another notch to its stellar comedy belt. 

And boy did it. 

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates may be a little too dumb and raunchy for many critics, but for this one it ended up being a consistently hilarious and entertaining movie that impressed me by the time it was all said and done. 

I should reiterate: this is not a movie that all will enjoy. I imagine my parents would think it's stupid. I imagine that most critics will too. Hell, I even think it was pretty stupid to a certain degree. But sometimes that's a perfectly suitable brand of humor and Mike and Dave combines the stupid and the raunchy very well. Appalling to some, annoying to others, but if you're a mid-20s male you'll likely find it just as hilarious as I did. 

Never be those ^^ guys at a party

Very loosely based on a true story, Mike and Dave is about the Stangle Brothers. Mike (DeVine) and Dave (Efron) often get each other way too riled up at family gatherings and ruin events, so their little sister has requested that they bring nice dates to her wedding to keep them in check. After posting an ad to Craig's List (about the only part of the story that's true) they eventually come across two girls, Tatiana (Plaza) and Alice (Kendrick) who are in it for the free trip to Hawaii and aren't really "nice girls" so to speak. Unfortunately, Mike and Dave plays out about exactly how'd you'd expect and doesn't really pull any punches that will have you wondering where they're going next. It also feels longer than the 98 minute run time, which surprised me because last night I suggested it should have been about 10 minutes shorter. 

Never be those ^^ girls
at a wedding

Despite those minor gripes though, I found the film to be another one that had a decently high hit rate of joke success. I'm not sure that anything had me gasping for air, but I was very consistently laughing at the jokes thrown at me and I can only remember a handful that fell flat. The film is decently written outside of the jokes, but it seems like many of the one-liners were ad-libbed which is impressive given how many there are. Efron and DeVine have great chemistry as do Plaza and Kendrick. Each one of them brings something unique to the table, but they're also all the same: self-absorbed, 20-somethings that believe they're the center of the universe. Having met many of these people in my life (and let's be real, we all act like that from time to time) the film hits home and has some very light, but well-stated things to say about being a young adult and the pressures/fears that come with it. Our generation very much likes to project those insecurities as confidence and an "I'm the s**t" attitude and this film attempts to wrestle with that idea. Their result may be cliche, but it's sweet and good natured to where it fits with the theme of the film. 

Many of the film's gags are also hilarious, if not obnoxiously far fetched, and I feel like they'll be the scenes that make or break it for many moviegoers. I won't spoil them here but one in particular is so zany and stupid that I wouldn't be surprised if its the scene where many think the film has gone off the rails. I found it hilarious, if not a little overdone, but again, that's the raunch for you. 

Where do I get Adam DeVine's outfit?!

I imagine that I'll have one of the higher ratings for Mike and Dave comparatively and I'm OK with that. It has some issues, mainly that it's not that imaginative, but for the most part it's a well constructed, consistently funny comedy with a solid cast that has some great chemistry. I appreciated what it tried to say about my generation too as there are some that really need to hear it. 

Well done 2016, well done. 

CONS:

• Predictable from beginning to end
• A handful of jokes that fall flat
• Will definitely be overly profane/stupid/raunchy for some
• Some tighter editing might have been needed as it feels longer than it actually is

PROS:

• Efron, DeVine, Kendrick, and Plaza are all fantastic here and bring their own brand of comedy. They all share a great chemistry and seem to be having a ton of fun
• Solid hit rate on jokes and gags. I was never hysterically laughing, but I was laughing out loud consistently
• Some great one liners
• Features a handful of really great scenes that are hilarious
• While its message may not be revolutionary, it's comments about the arrogance of our generation are not only correct, but necessary
• Entertaining throughout. I was never bored and I had a smile on my face almost the whole time

Rath's Review Score: 8/10