Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” stars Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, and Aubrey Plaza.  Released on July 8, 2016, the film is about two hard-partying brothers who placed an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister’s Hawaiian wedding.

The film is directed by Jake Szymanski, who also directed the television movie, 7 Days in Hell.  It is inspired by a true story about Mike and Dave Stangle, who became viral sensations after posting an ad on Craigslist looking for wedding dates.  I haven’t seen that many comedies that involve weddings, but when it comes to the actors that are in this film, I couldn’t help but to make an exception.  Since his High School Musical days, Zac Efron has made a new name for himself by starring in plenty of R-rated comedies and he hopes to continue that trend with his latest outing.  But is it the type of wedding that’s worth going to?

Pros:
Some of the performances were decent.  Efron and DeVine were solid together as the title characters, with Kendrick and Plaza being respectable as their dates.

The humor in the first half was hysterical.

Decent direction from Szymanski.


Cons:
The second half felt flat in terms of the humor.

A couple jokes dragged a little bit.

Some of the dialogue felt silly at times.
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Final thoughts: Aside from its rocky second half and its simple, yet screwball-ish, plot, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” is a funny, imperfect date that is respectable as (whoop, censored).  There were a few jokes that had me laughing my butt off, but the rest of them are either chuckle-worthy or just plain silly.  Nonetheless, if you like Zac Efron and his R-rated raunchiness or you just need a good laugh, this film is for you.

B-