Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Dustin Chase
Both Zac Efron (“Dirty Grandpa”, “Neighbors 2”) and Anna Kendrick (“Get a Job”, “Mr. Right”) have firmly secured their status as the worst actors of 2016. This is the third horrible comedy in a row for the celebrities who have destroyed their right to be called actors. From the oh-so-obvious writer/producers of Efron’s “Neighbors” films, Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien, borrow clichés from one franchise and distribute them here. Taking a page from Adam Sandler’s “Just Go With It”, also set in Hawaii, vulgarity and really dumb jokes placate their way through a script that feels more like a straight to video “American Pie” sequel than feature film real estate.
Brothers Mike (Devine) and Dave (Efron) have a problem at family events, they ruin and destroy every party with their immature antics. Their younger sister Jeanie (Beard) is getting married in Oahu, but has a serious sit down alongside parents, begging the brothers not to ruin her ceremony. They are given strict instructions to bring nice dates so they won’t cause trouble trying to impress other women. Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza) are the female equivalent of Mike and Dave as far as disruptions go. They answer the Craigslist ad, pretending to be “good girls” so they can get in on the free trip to Hawaii. Things are going great until the alcohol, drugs, and sexual misgivings reveal the true side to Mikie & Dave’s dates.
Takes top honors in the 2016 worst mainstream performance category.
“When are the two of you going to grow up,” we hear from a parental unit, only the same line in the last five Efron films. “The more I watch it the less I feel,” Kendricks’ character says about her disastrous wedding video. She might as well be commenting on her own career, which is on a terrible downward spiral. The once Oscar nominated actress (“Up in the Air”) has completely given into mainstream projects that have reduced her from one of the promising young talents, to just another “MTV girl”, to quote Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”. The script, which is the written equivalent to verbal diarrhea, is equal to Kendrick’s performance, which she might as well have been reading for all the emotion she puts into her role. “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” certainly takes top honors in the 2016 worst mainstream performance category.
The writers think curse words are funny, as every vulgar word and phrase is constantly yelled and thrown at characters. They want so badly to steer this raunchy comedy into a territory where nothing is off the table, but the antics and situations have all been done before. This is nothing more than a copycat of previous Efron movies or clichéd immature “bro” movies where they learn a valuable lesson the hard way and end the film with a musical performance and one more sex scene. There isn’t one gratifying or useful scene in the entire film.
Final Thought
Efron & Kendrick Need Career Redirection.