Wedding Crashers (2005) Reviews

• Excellent summer movie

  ivko2005-08-24

  This movie will never win an Oscar, but it still surprised me and became my favorite summer movie this year. The plot, as in all good summer comedies, is simple. Two guys who crash weddings to pick up woman have zany adventures and learn a little something along the way. The real fun of this movie is in the actors, who deliver their performances perfectly. Owen Wilson is the aging California surfer type who may be ready to move on with his life. Vince Vaughn is his best friend who frequently acts like a spoiled, horny child but is actually a good guy. Christopher Walken is the slightly scary father of the love interest. So if you have seen Wilson in Shanghai Noon and Vaughn in Swingers and Walken in, well almost anything he has ever made, then you have seen these characters before. But still, they just work well together here. The movie contains just enough real emotion to keep you caring and enough absurdity and broad physical comedy to keep you laughing. This isn't Shakespeare, but it is funny. Highly recommend.

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• Witty, raunchy and sure to become a 'classic'

  botner2005-06-26

  Saw a advance screening of this on Friday night. Hilarious doesn't do the film justice. You know how in most films you remember the funniest parts and bring them up as you leave the theater? This one, it's hard to remember the best parts because there's so many of them. Unlike his previous films, where Vince Vaughn is usually reduced to the role of 'scene stealer', here we get a full dose of Babaganush, and he's in his finest form since 'Swingers'. If you liked him in his Swingers/Made persona, you'll love him here. Some of the riffs that he has literally will have you holding your sides with laughter. Owen Wilson is Owen Wilson. You either like him or you don't. He's more of the straight man in this film, although he does have some pretty good lines too, and he has great chemistry with Vaughn, especially in the scenes where they're fighting. He's the ying to Vaughn's yang. The movie certainly 'earns' it's R rating. There's a healthy dose of nudity, sex related hijinks, and f-bombs. But it's not 'gross out' humor a la American Pie. It pushes boundaries, but not just in a 'shock value' way. It's genuinely funny. I saw the movie with a bunch of critics, who usually the jaded type, were laughing their asses of as well. Guys will love this movie and will be quoting it for the rest of the year. Girls will love it too though, and there is a romantic subplot (cheesy at times, but forgivable given how funny the movie is), with Rachael McAdams doing a great job as Owen Wilson's love interest. Isla Fischer plays the role of 'scene stealer' in this one, serving as Vince Vaughn's psycho love interest. And Chris Walken is Chris Walken. So overall..inappropriate, hilarious and glorious. Better than Oldschool. Way better than Anchorman. Best comedy of the year, maybe the last couple of years.

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• Wilson and Vaughn: The Perfect Couple?

  jvydelingum2005-07-02

  The Frat-Pack, are surely the hardest working collective in Hollywood. Hardly a month goes by without a movie featuring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, or those Wilson boys Luke and Owen being released. When Starsky and Hutch paired Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller it was good, when Dodgeball put Vince Vaughn with Ben Stiller it was better, but "Wedding Crashers" could well be the finest Frat-Pack pairing to date. Although Wilson and Vaughn have appeared in four movies together so far, this is the first where they've both taken star billing. In "Wedding Crashers", John Beckwith (Wilson) and Jeremy Klein (Vaughn), are a pair of divorce mediators whose passion in life is sneaking into weddings to take advantage of the free food.. and of course score with girls. They have a strict 'crashers rulebook', which dictates the etiquette of the pick-up, such as 'never use your real name'. It also suggests, by behaving raucously, loudly and generally being the life-and-soul, people will think you're so obnoxious, you can't not have been invited. The pair eventually find themselves at odds with each other when John meets and falls for a bridesmaid at the Washington society wedding of the year. Although "Wedding Crashers" is at times formulaic, the comic performances raise this movie above par and in lesser hands the main characters could have descended into Rom-Com cliché. The fast-talking machine-gun delivery of Vaughn is the perfect accompaniment to Wilson's laconic style. Their single-guy banter's often painfully accurate, as is the acknowledgement they're both a little too old to be acting so carelessly. There are also some great comic set-pieces too, notably the divorce meeting, the weddings montage, the cringe-worthy football game and the hunting trip. The supporting cast are also an asset, Christopher Walken expertly walks the tightrope of being both broodingly intimidating and likable, while Rachel McAdams' 'Claire' has a charming vulnerability and an easy-to-fall-in love with quality. Former "Home and Away" pin-up Isla Fisher however, is less convincing. I admit "Wedding Crashers" is far from perfect, at time situations seem too contrived, the nudity is laughably gratuitous, and Claire's evil fiancée Sack (Bradley Cooper) is an almost too heavy-handed device to make Wilson look good. But if you can look past all that, and simply accept it for what it is, you're left with a very funny film. 8/10

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• This movie was hilarious

  Rooster992006-06-16

  An excellent comedy, Vince Vaughn is a gifted comedian. He kept "Old School" going, was the only light in a dismal "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", and had a terrific debut lead in "Swingers". I highly recommend people considering this movie, to watch the extras on the DVD; there is a karaoke scene at an Asian wedding which will have you rolling. It is a shame it was cut from the movie, but as the director's comments stated, "They just couldn't find a place where it would fit." I was very pleasantly surprised at the number of times I laughed out loud, a rarity for me while watching comedies. The lines were witty, the delivery was crisp, and the jokes were mostly new and fresh. Rachel McAdams was stunning, an excellent casting choice to play the object of Owen Wilson's desire. Despite the more or less rehashed plot (two guys lie about themselves to meet women, only to find that they now have a dilemma when they find 2 they really like), the film is nonetheless novel and original. There are a number of obviously stereotypical characters, (drunken grandmother, artistic introverted son, psychotic cheating boyfriend, immoral mother, powerful father), but they work in this film. Particularly the grandmother, who is prone to drunken scatological exclamations, had me laughing my head off. It was quite unexpected. Although many of the situations could come off as contrived, they were secondary to the excellent repartee between Wilson and Vaughn. Their comic pairing worked to a T. R.

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• I laughed so much, I cried too. Fun buddy movie of two friends who crash weddings to meet girls.

  seamus_waldron-12005-07-05

  This could have been a shocking buddy movie, but the writing, the comedic performances and the simple concept, make this my favourite comedy of the year. Divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are business partners and longtime friends who share a strange hobby, crashing weddings. With intricate planning of back stories, the pair crash Jewish, Itaian, Irish, Chinese, even Hindu weddings, always with an answer for that question of "And you are".? Wedding crashing has rules, handed down from one generation to the next : "Invites are for losers", "Make sure she's single", "Never use your real name", "Dance like you mean it", "Free drinks, why not?", "If you can't cry, fake it!" and the most important; "Never leave a fellow crasher behind" Though a kaleidescope of parties, we glimpse the whirlwind nature of wedding crashing. John and Jeremy aren't just out on the make, though the girls are their ultimate goal. They are sympathetic characters. Being the life of the party attracts the women, but these guys really do love the food, the bands, entertaining the kids and dressing up in their suits. Not only are they Wedding Crashers, they are Wedding experts. The ultimate crashing challenge comes when the daughter of the Treasury Secretary (Christopher Walken) and he wife (Jane Seymor) is getting married in what is sure to be the social event of the year. Of course, our friends find that this might just be a wedding too far, especially when they are invited to an extended weekend celebration at the Secretarys' home. The fun really begins and I shall stop telling you what is going on as the ins and outs of this film are delightful. Jane Seymor has a marvellous scene with Owen Wilson and there are many moments you want to berry your head in the shoulder of the person next to you to stop laughing too loudly. This is my favourite comedy of the year so far.

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