Wedding Crashers of Old

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2007)

Java Man Reviews "Wedding Crashers"(2005, R). Directed by David Dobkin. Written by Steve Faber & Bob Fisher. Starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper & Jane Seymour. Running Time: 119 minutes. Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com.
OVERVIEW:
John and Jeremy (Wilson and Vaughn) are Washington D.C. divorce counselors who spend their off-hours and vacation-breaks pursuing their real passion... wedding crashing. The rules of the game are simple: have a well-rehearsed explanation of how you are related to the bride or groom; be extra nice to the bridesmaids and other single women at the wedding; and never, NEVER fall in love with any of your conquests. Of course the One Big Rule of the movie comedy is to break such rules as soon as possible -- and sure enough, one of the guys falls in love. This happens when they crash the wedding of the daughter of Treasury Secretary Cleary (Walken), who has two other daughters (McAdams and Fisher) and a wayward wife (Seymour). Once our heroes enter the Kennedy-style Cleary compound, their cover stories begin to unravel and complications ensue.
REVIEW: 2.5 Java Mugs out of 4
It was 1962, and we had just finished stocking shelves on a Saturday night. "C'mon, Terry, we're going to a wedding reception," said my coworker Ken Skelly. "Whose?" I asked. "It doesn't matter," he answered. And off we went, two 18-year-old wedding crashing pioneers. I should have written a screenplay.
But a screenplay is just the beginning. What brings it to life is the imagination of the director and the talents of the actors. The talented actors we have: Wilson, Vaughn and Walken could recite the wording of a ballot issue and it would be hilarious. But somehow the film doesn't gel under Dobkin's direction. Walken for example, who normally chews up any movie he's in, seems subdued. And though Wilson and Vaughn have some sparkling moments together, their performances could have been more spontaneous. Some promising characters are left undeveloped. For example, Wilson and Seymour have a scene that echoes the great Mrs. Robinson seduction in The Graduate, but after that her character goes nowhere.
Though it could have been better, the film is still fun to watch. The production design is attractive as are McAdams and Fisher, who have the comic touch as the daughters. The editing, too, is well-executed, including a musical montage that takes us through a United Nations of ethnic weddings (Greek, Italian, Indian, Irish), and ends with some fancy moves on the dance floor that transition to fanciful moves in the bedroom.
Back in 1962, our wedding-crashing montage usually ended with us getting thrown out. But I would like to think that my old pal Ken perfected the technique and is still out there somewhere, crashing weddings and breaking hearts.