Movie Review: Wedding Crashers (2005)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Bradley Cooper
Directed By: David Dobkin
For some reason, we saw a lot of movies while on vacation. Even though it's something we could do at home, we found it was a good thing to do at the end of the night, since we finally had the time to go (whereas we didn't at home) and the had the on-vacation attitudes toward spending money. Along with this movie, we also saw War of the Worlds and March of the Penguins while away, then Broken Flowers when we got back. That's a lot of reviews to catch up on.
With this review, I'm all caught up. Unfortunately, it's the hardest review to write. Because there isn't much more to say about Wedding Crashers other than it's really, really funny and really, really fun. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are at the top of their respective comedic games with this one, with Christopher Walken throwing in his patented quirky delivery as a bonus. It's probably the best comedy I've seen since Old School, so if you liked that movie, you'll enjoy this one too.
Like similar bawdy comedies, Wedding Crashers breaks no new ground when it comes to storytelling. It follows the same structure as most buddy comedies, offering stock characters in familiar roles: the arty gay guy (Keir O'Donnell), the asshole boyfriend (Bradley Cooper), the sexpot mother (Jane Seymour), the crazy chick (Isla Fisher), and the perfect girl (Rachel McAdams). And, of course, the obligatory Will Ferrell cameo. But for movies like this the familiar structures serve their purpose. We don't go to these kinds of movies to be challenged, we go to laugh. So the focus is less on a unique format, and more on the fun concept of guys who crash weddings to score free booze, food, and chicks, and most importantly, on the laughs and the chemistry of Vaughn and Wilson as leads. And it works. I laughed out loud several times and enjoyed myself throughout the film's 119 minutes.
One thing worth commenting on is the film's wise choice to not avoid its R rating. Too often comedies like this neuter themselves to achieve a PG-13 rating, making them sex comedies without nudity. Which is kind of odd. If you're gonna be a raunchy comedy, then be raunchy. Don't just dance around it and then wait for the unrated DVD to come out. When did we all become such prudes anyway? The gamble paid off for the movie too, since it's well on its way to earning three times what it cost to make.
There you go, I managed to squeeze out a few paragraphs for the review. I'm a gamer, I tell ya. In summary: Wedding Crashers is really, really funny and really, really fun.
3.5/5
Related:
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Old School (2003)
Zoolander (2001)