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Director: Jake Szymanski

Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Sugar Lyn Beard

Running Time: 1 hour 38 mins

Rating: 15

Release Date: 10/8/16

Based on a true story… sort of, Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) are the hard-partying Stangle brothers who consistently ruin family gatherings. After a stern talking to from their parents, they’re tasked with finding “nice” girls to bring to their sister Jeanie’s (Sugar Lyn Beard) wedding in Hawaii. After placing an ad on Craigslist and appearing on a talk show, the boys are inundated with propositions, but their chosen girls, Alice and Tatiana (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza), turn out to be equally rowdy and not as respectable as they first seemed.

Much like his character(?) in Workaholics, Devine doesn’t offer anything that I haven’t already seen before, but he’s a talent and definitely one to watch. Animated like a young Jim Carrey, he is obscene and often gets the wrong idea. I don’t think I’ll be able to say ultimatum without thinking of an old tomato, now… As for Efron, who just has to take his top off, the party boy image is no mean feat having portrayed a wild frat boy in Bad Neighbours, but his pretty boy status continues to precede him as potential dates leer over his photo in the ad, favouring him over Dave.

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For all the laughs provoked from its more outrageous scenes, there is an air of gender inequality which is comically glased over. I touched on Efron’s torso without mentioning Lyn Beard’s full frontal nudity, but let’s take for example male emotion – when Mike and Dave get increasingly upset about potentially ruining their sister’s big day, Efron’s mouth becomes incapable of controlling its salivary glands while Devine wails childishly.

Would this scene have played out the same were it women? Probably, it’s a comedy after all, but what could’ve been a redeeming moment for the brothers was instead painted as something to be mocked and laughed at. With that said, Tatiana and Anna are a perfect match for them, refreshingly turning the tables by playing the game better and conning their way towards a free holiday. Tatiana is the saving grace, played perfectly by Plaza. Brilliantly savage, she owns her womanhood, completely aware and in control of her sex appeal as Mike relentlessly makes a play for her.

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Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates is explicit and predictable. Confiding in Alice, Dave has an almost convincing but all too cliche “I don’t know what I’m doing with my life” realisation which leads to a clash of the brothers when Mike discovers that Dave actually has his own life goals. And after countless replays of her wedding video which sees her jilted at the alter, Alice finally reaches a place of acceptance and presses delete.

But what’s interesting and what works in this films favour, aside from the clever grouping of Efron, Devine, Plaza and Kendrick who each offer a different humour, are the supporting actors and narratives taking place around the main story arc, from cousin Terry’s rivalry with Mike to Jeanie’s sexual awakening.

Devine tweets that “it is the funniest movie of the year hands down!”, and I won’t deny that I laughed, a lot. I’ll circle back to this in a few months time.

Grab a +1 and watch Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates on the 10th August.

Verdict

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Film and TV Journalist Follow: @lorevalx Follow: @filmandtvnow