The Wedding Crashers Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)July 30th, 2005
WEDDING CRASHERS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
WEDDING CRASHERS uses the full power of its R rating to thoroughly tickle our funny bones but without a single crude or vulgar moment. One of the prime causes of movie failures is the lack of genuine or interesting chemistry, but WEDDING CRASHERS is bursting with believable chemistry, especially that between the two hilarious leads, Vince Vaughn, as a wacky motormouth named Jeremy Grey, and Owen Wilson as John Beckwith, Jeremy's lovable and equally wild best friend.
Like kids at Christmas, Jeremy and John live for a season filled with goodies. For them that time of the year is the wedding season, since these two lawyers spend their time crashing weddings, where they can find free food and lots of women who will fall for their sweet schtick. They play with the children at the weddings, they cry on cue, and they tell sad, moving stories to the prettiest single women there. And it works. These irresistible rogues live a life of one night stands.
Wedding crashers live by an intricate series of rules set down by one Chaz Reingold, who thought up the idea. Almost a mythical figure, Chaz hasn't exactly made the most of his life since it's said that he's a 40-year-old guy who still lives with his mother.
After a long stream of successes, Jeremy and John set their sights higher. They decide to crash the wedding of one of the daughters of Treasury Secretary Cleary (Christopher Walken). A busty Jane Seymour plays the Secretary's horny wife. Our professional crashers pull it off, but the job proves too much for them since they end up violating one of their cardinal rules, which is never falling in love with their prey. The insanely possessive and the initially very virginal Gloria Cleary (Isla Fisher from SCOOBY DOO) sets her sights on Jeremy after he puts the moves on her, and her sister Claire (Rachel McAdams from MEAN GIRLS) finds herself beginning to love John, although she is currently engaged to a preppy prick.
The first half of the film finds lot of easy laughs, but the more serious second half tries harder and gets even bigger laughs. The love is real, causing the humor to be especially effective. Rather than finding their actions despicable, we come to believe that these two handsome and adorable guys are the types you'd like to have crash your wedding. It certainly could liven it up. And, if they end up hitting it off with one of your guests, more power to them.
WEDDING CRASHERS runs 1:59. It is rated R for "sexual content/nudity and language" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
My son Jeffrey, age 16, gave it *** 1/2. He said it was funny on a romantic level and not like AMERICAN PIE sort of funny. His friend Yasmin, just about to turn 16, gave it ***. She said that it was "totally, totally hilarious." They both commented on how much they liked Owen Wilson in it.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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