Director Jake Szymanski
Genre Comedy
Cast Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza
Rating R
Release Date July 8th, 2016
“Hard-partying brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) for their sister’s Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves outsmarted and out-partied by the uncontrollable duo.”
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a comedy directed by Jake Szymanski and is his debut feature-film. Believe it or not, the film is actually based on a true story involving two brothers from New York who posted a Craiglist ad in 2013 for dates to their sister’s wedding. The roller coaster ride landed them on The Today Show which inevitably landed them a book and movie deal. The film stars Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a raunchy comedy filled with laughs and enough heart to still qualify as a date night option. As a fan of the comedic actor Zac Efron has developed into (Neighbors 1 & 2, That Awkward Moment), as well as a huge fan of Workaholics star and co-creator, Adam DeVine, I had high expectations for this film right from the start. I definitely enjoyed it and felt that the screenplay was interesting enough yet simple. The chemistry between the cast was spot on and it was clear how much fun they were having. I was pleasantly surprised by a deeper message revealed towards the end of the film, although it definitely took a back seat to the humor. What bothers me is the fact that I genuinely feel like Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates could have been better, and that may simply be my high expectations blurring my overall opinion but I expected an instant classic. I’m not sure what exactly it was missing, but something tells me I will enjoy it even more the next time I see it. Considering this is the work of a rookie director, the final product was pretty damn solid all things considered.
For a raunchy comedy, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates includes above average acting from a stellar cast consisting of Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, and Aubrey Plaza. Efron did well and once again I enjoyed his ability to really immerse himself in a comedic role, which he has clearly found success with. I was actually most impressed with DeVine and the fact that he quite simply stole the show. I understand that some people get bored with his exaggerated brand of humor which he puts on full display in Comedy Central’s Workaholics series, but his character is well-rounded enough that pretty much everyone should be genuinely impressed with his performance. Kendrick was solid as expected and displayed fantastic chemistry with Efron throughout the film. My biggest disappointment was Plaza and her “bad girl” persona mainly because it felt very forced to me. As the film comes to a conclusion, you begin to understand why she acts the way she does but it still left me feeling a little meh and I generally enjoy her work. She played a relatively similar role in Dirty Grandpa but I felt like she was a bit more believable in that.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a crowd pleasing comedy that admittedly is best enjoyed after enjoying a few adult beverages, but aren’t most comedies? After watching a few of the outtakes during the credits I realized that the Blu-Ray release of this film will be incredible with the amount of deleted scenes and gag reels. I can’t wait! If you consider yourself a fan of comedy or better yet have a soft spot for Adam DeVine or Workaholics in general, you owe it to yourself to check this one out and enjoy some good old fashioned R-rated humor.
