Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Review

Not quite managing to find solid footing, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates does carry a few laughs but ultimately finds itself stuck trying to emulate the frat pack classics than break out on its own.After gaining notoriety as party disasters, Mike and Dave are forced to find dates for their sister’s wedding in order to keep them in check on the big day. After placing an add on Craigslist, they eventually pair themselves with school teacher Tatiana and hedge fund manager Alice, but not all is quite as it seems once they get to the wedding.Although it was certainly on the right track, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates falls a little short of expectation with only a handful of jokes helping you through to the end. With the comedy genre going through somewhat of a revival over the last 10 years, the heart that is now intertwined within this type of story is unfortunately lost as the narrative can’t decide whether it has the soul of a frat pack/Seth Rogen story or the slapstick nature of an Adam Sandler tragedy.Its rather frustrating when you look back on a film and notice that it had all the elements to be a good little comedy but due to an underdeveloped screenplay, gives you little more than a forgettable chuckle. While there is somewhat of a chemistry between the lead actors and a degree to which you can sympathize with them, these are never truly capitalized on and the result ends up with a clichéd structure as predictable as a fiber enthusiasts bowel movements.To its credit, the lead actors are well suited for this type of comedy. Zac Efron is seemingly churning these films out like they are going out of business but thankfully, paired with Adam Devine, this is actually one of his better films to date. While the female leads struggle with the comedy aspects, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza redeem themselves during the fleeting human elements of the film that easily put them on par with their male counterparts. This may not be the most well structured cast for a comedy but given its short run time, it’s just enough to keep the audience interested in what’s going on.Overall, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates isn’t a complete disaster but it will leave you thinking it could have been much more. With some funny set pieces and a rather solid chemistry between the cast, you might laugh a few times but it’s definitely not one you will remember in the long run. 2.5 out of 5.