First Take: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates- a comedy that has the laughs, but fails in the editing

SYPNOSIS:

Two hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister’s Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo.

Well, of all the things that I hoped wasn’t a true story, this one actually is. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a solid comedy film for the 15-24 audience- however, the film is one that film studies students can easily read into a little too much- I made that mistake during the screening I was in.

The script is OK, with the obligatory 6 laugh test being passed at around the 35 minute mark mainly due to some outstanding work from Zac Efron and Adam Devine as the two very likable leading men. Also, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza just have a certain presence to their roles, and for once it is great to see Kendrick play a role that isn’t her typical ‘good girl’ archetype. The cinematography is decent, and the soundtrack is another one of those generic teenage pop-influenced selections. It’s directed very well by Jake Szymanski, making his feature film debut after directing a few segments of Saturday Night Live, however my main issue is the style of the editing. It feels sloppy and rushed, making the 98 minutes both a little painful to sit through yet funny enough to warrant an audience response. It definitely goes without saying that this is a film you shouldn’t read into that much, as it is designed purely to make you laugh at the idiocy of Mike, Dave and their ‘respectable’ wedding dates.

THE VERDICT

With some great performances from Devine, Efron, Kendrick and Plaza, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates has the makings of a great teenage comedy, but some very poor editing here and there took the focus away from the laughs- but audiences will really go nuts for this film.

RATING: 4/5