I love this movie so hard.
I went in thinking it would be a lowbrow comedy, and I wasn't disappointed. It was the most moronic movie I've seen all year.
So why the four stars? Because, you see, to me, lowbrow isn't a pejorative: It's what more movies should do. You'll notice a trend here, Loafers: I don't review the serious movies, I don't review James Bond, I don't review art films. I assign those movies to other writers. But bullshit stupid comedies? You can pry my media passes from my cold, dead fingers. Way I see it we have the whole of reality to watch sobering shit about getting revenge on the Nazi who tortured your mother and people getting Alzheimer's; when I'm paying $16 for a movie ticket, I want to worry I might pee my pants because I'm laughing so hard.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates fit the bill perfectly. I'm not going to bore you with a review of the plot or a exploration of character development, because let's all be honest with each other (safe place, people, safe place): People like you and I who go see movies like Mike and Dave care about as much about plot development as that guy we met in the bar last week cared about our hopes and dreams. All you need to know is this: Zac Efron and Adam Devine (yeah, he's the adorkable boyfriend from Modern Family) and Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick form the perfect Superfriends of inanity, but Stephen Root as their dad raises the bar when he appears in a movie or TV show (raise your hand if you still miss Newsradio) and this was no exception.
Look, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is set in Hawaii, has a great cast and is fucking hysterical. It's not too stupid for those of us who didn't see Dumb & Dumber's appeal.
But it's damn close. But don't take my word for it…
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This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.