A crudely constructed comedy that delivers genuine laughs most times

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2005)

Directed by David Dobkin; starring the comic duo of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, Crashers is a crudely constructed comedy that delivers genuine laughs most times, seemingly due to the improvisational nature of its stars and the director's willingness to let them run wild.
The two play divorce mediators who live for weddings and the opportunity to womanize. They perfect the art of crashing weddings using great lines, dance moves and plays to bed the ladies. The movie presents almost every single wedding cliché and destroys them, with often hilarious results. Some of the best scenes are contained within these wedding montages.
Vaughn shines, as he is tossed into a series of unfortunate scenarios, which are almost uncomfortable to watch, but painstakingly delivers good laughs. When paired up with Isla Fisher, the movie's laugh factor hits a great high.
The film detours just after the first half with a dramatic/romance angle, which works on the sole merit of Wilson and Rachel McAdams' (The Notebook, Red Eye) chemistry. However, for a movie which debunks a lot of clichés, it is disappointing to see it go down the formulaic path with this story arch. The jokes become few and far between. Admittedly, witnessing the talent of McAdams compensates in this regard, but not enough. At two hours and then some, the movie becomes weighty.
While it delivers on some laughs and allows the cast sufficient leeway, under a more skillful director and a tighter script, this may have evolved into a comedy classic.