In its bold proclamation that women can be just as moronic as men, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” distinguishes itself from the usual run of loose ‘n raunchy R-rated comedies.
True, it’s otherwise pretty similar to, let’s say, the “Hangover” movies: The actors improvise around a rickety script, and aggressive bad taste is the goal. But hey, at least it’s gender-blind when serving up the stupidity.
The film has some slight connection to a real incident, involving a pair of doofus brothers (the title characters played by Zac Efron and Adam Devine) who must invite sane, responsible dates to their sister’s wedding in Hawaii. Their parents insist on this because the boys have ruined many family occasions in the past.
Mike and Dave don’t actually know any sane, responsible women, so they advertise. Unfortunately, they get Alice and Tatiana (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza).
Although they are actually booze-swilling nitwits, these ladies figure they can pretend to be nice for the sake of a free Hawaiian vacation. Chaos, of course, ensues.
It breaks no new ground, and the desire to offend for its own sake gets tiresome. But “Mike and Dave” keeps the ball in the air for 98 minutes, and it is pretty good at showcasing funny people who happen to be women.
Kendrick and Plaza clearly relish the chance to play broader than their customary deadpan styles. They have some good moments, although they fall short of their apparent goal: that gold standard of female idiocy, “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.”
But there’s also Alice Wetterlund, totally on-point as Mike and Dave’s lesbian cousin, and Sugar Lyn Beard, utterly fearless as the bride-to-be. There’s plenty of slapstick on hand with this group.
As for the boys, Efron does his specialty, a teary-eyed sincerity that quickly turns mawkish. He lets his co-star uncork the wilder stuff (Devine has a gift for making strange yelps come out of his larynx), and this regular on Comedy Central’s “Workaholics” is likely to be the breakout star from this film.
Director Jake Szymanski, a veteran of online comedy, operates in the whatever-works mode. Individual scenes might not make sense, but if something funny happens, it ends up in the movie.
There’s no joke too lowbrow for “Mike and Dave.” Please don’t think about taking your parents.
“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” (2 stars)
There’s no joke too lowbrow for this raunchy comedy, in which two trouble-making brothers (Zac Efron and Adam Devine) enlist a couple of strangers (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) to be their dates at a family event. No classic, but it keeps its energy level up and gives some gifted female performers a lot of slapstick to do.
Rating: R, for nudity, language, subject matter
Showing: Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre, Everett, Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood, Meridian, Pacific Place, Sundance Cinemas, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall
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