An awful lot better than you might be expecting...

Rating: 8/10 (1 September 2008)

The Wedding Crashers is a rare thing in comedy films - a flick with an almost non-existent point to its story, yet it is riddled with sophisticated humour and a fairly cohesive, enjoyable plot. The film can be split into two if we try and assign a genre to it; it is either a Romance film, or it is a Comedy film. It is not a Rom-Com in the classical sense - it's too silly in places for that. One thing it does particularly well, though, is fulfil its role as a feel-good film, and might - just might - see you looking at areas of your own relationships in a slightly different way. The film's greatest strength lies in the sheer range of well-defined characters. All of them are integral to the film's substance, but the interplay between Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughan is especially important. The buddy-buddy feel that predominates through the first two thirds of the film gives rise to some of the most memorable lines and quotes I think I can remember from recent films. The roles played by Christopher Walken, and his family, are fantastic. A true achiever in Hollywood, Walken brings his "ever-so-slightly-creepy" acting style into line with his obvious comedic talents to sublime effect - perhaps a precursor to his amusing but slightly unnerving role as an Angel of Death in "Click!". The inclusion of Will Ferrel as the ninja-master of 'crashing may not be to everyone's taste, but his role is kept to a minimal, and is actually particularly funny. The plot is fairly predictable, so I won't go into it at length; basically two best friends who have daytime jobs as divorce mediates get their kicks out of gatecrashing local weddings, picking up emotional girls and then moving on. The film develops by forcing them to look at the irresponsibility of their behaviour, and offers them both ways out of it in the form of the two lead female characters. But be aware that this one isn't necessary so run of the mill as other comparable movies. It has something slightly more, and that's what makes it worth your while watching on a Friday night, as opposed to one of the other generic rom-com clones that have infected the shelves of your local video store recently. So, a good one to catch as the weekend begins, and you want something to laugh about (that doesn't require too much of that ever-so-absent Friday night brain power!).