Movie Review: Wedding Crashers

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Movie Review: Wedding CrashersWedding Crashers” follows two aging divorce mediators Jeremy and John (played by Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson respectively) as they use the “rules of wedding crashing” to meet and pick up women. With the wedding season almost over, John starts to feel guilty, and wonders if there’s more to life than just sleeping around. Jeremy convinces him to crash one last event – the wedding of one of the daughters of Treasury Secretary William Cleary (Christopher Walken). At the reception, John falls for one of Cleary’s other daughters, Claire (Rachel McAdams), but John learns that she already has a boyfriend, the elitist Sack (Bradley Cooper). Jeremy beds the third Cleary sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) during the reception, and as a result he and John are invited to the family’s Maryland-coast estate for a few days of comical mishaps at the hands of the dysfunctional Cleary family, which also includes the secretary’s horny wife Kathleen (Jane Seymour) and his confused son Todd (Keir O’Donnell).

With the talented Vaughn and Wilson in the lead roles, the always-entertaining Walken as the bridesmaids’ powerful father and several great performances from supporting players, the end result is the best date movie since “When Harry Met Sally.” Vaughn’s relentless deadpan delivery meshes well with Wilson’s easygoing manner, and the two have great chemistry on screen. Though they each have a ton of funny lines, Wilson’s playing the straight guy while Vaughn does a slightly different version of the same loveable asshole he played in “Swingers,” “Old School” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.”

Movie Review: Wedding Crashers

Unlike most romantic comedies, the female leads in “Wedding Crashers” aren’t just placeholders. While McAdams and Fisher each have several funny moments, it’s the diminutive Fisher that really shines here. The writing is consistently sharp and witty, and each supporting character has a chance to contribute to the overall story. But as a warning – if you find yourself expecting Christopher Walken to go off on one of his patented three-minute rants, don’t hold your breath. Though he definitely delivers his share of punch lines, his performance is subtler than his usual fare.

While the descriptions “date movie” and “romantic comedy” might scare a few guys off, they should be grateful for the opportunity to let (with some subtle reinforcement) their significant other pick “Wedding Crashers” and save their turn to choose “The Island” (opening 7/22) or the Jessica Simpson-in-Daisy-Dukes spectacle (8/5). Single guys shouldn’t be thrown off by the “date movie” moniker, either. The type of comedy in “Crashers” has more of an “Old School” vibe than your typical romantic comedy, so a group of guys can certainly go and have a raucous time. While a Walken rant would have been welcomed, the strong script, quick pace and the good-to-excellent performances by a fine cast make “Wedding Crashers” the year’s best comedy thus far and one of this summer’s must-see events.

Features:

Check out our roundtable interviews with Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Andrew Panay.

DVD Features:

The Uncorked Edition of “Wedding Crashers” includes an unrated version of the film (including 8 1/2 minutes of never-before-seen footage), deleted scenes, and two audio commentaries (one with director David Dobkin, and the other with stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn).

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