I don’t buy in to hype. Something is a masterpiece, the scariest movie in years, or an instant comedy classic, my first impulse is to challenge that idea and seek it out. And when I do, I scrutinize it. Harshly. Narcissism, Vanity, A god complex, dissect that comment as you must, or will, but it’s a routine. A routine that I hold dear. Now, every now and then, I’m proven wrong, and something completely sideswipes me and my expectations. “Wedding Crashers” is, without a doubt, fucking funny. And not just funny, but really fucking funny.
It’s not perfection, not the perfection I’d heard about by any means, but it’s funny, really funny. “Wedding Crashers” is a more than welcome return to risqué, edgy, raunchy, and exploitative comedies. It’s a welcome return to adult comedies. Bye bye safe PG-13 bullshit. Enjoy being played in church socials and elementary schools. Most comedies these days suck, but if you take my opinion as respectable, then I can recommend “Wedding Crashers” as a really funny but flawed venture for the pack of Vaughn/Wilson/Wilson/ Ferrell/Stiller/Robbins/Black whom just seem to be flipping coins to who will star with whom in the next comedy.
John and Jeremy carry on the legacy of their friend Chazz, the great Wedding Crasher. Following the rulebook of wedding crashers loyally, they crash every single wedding and attempt to meet women. But they finally meet their match when they crash the wedding of a local senator’s daughter, and are thrown for a loop by his two daughters. John begins falling for Claire, an independent, and witty girl, while Jeremy attempts to evade the younger sister Gloria–who is very sexy, but just plain insane. Though Wilson does, admittedly have his moments, most of the comedic slack is taken by Vaughn and Fisher, but we’ll get to that. “Wedding Crashers” is an entertaining bit of part sex comedy part romance comedy that really does show these two friends struggling to survive this situation, with Jeremy taking the worst beatings.
He’s shot in the ass, beaten, raped, and everything else, but his devotion to John makes the buddy comedy between Owen and Vince fascinating and it keeps you waiting to see what will break this bond, if it does break. “Wedding Crashers” has some of the more clever, and rapid fire dialogue that really does throw many biting one-liners, and great characterization that I enjoyed, but that’s due in part to the good performances. Rachel McAdams is funny and charming as Claire and gives a very sympathetic supporting role, while Wilson is charming and dials down the usual prerequisite obnoxiousness that he brings along with every single one of his roles. But the real reason to watch? Vince Vaughn and Isla Fisher. Together. Separately. I’m not a fan of Vaughn usually, but in “Wedding Crashers” he shows us what capability he has in a good comedy films that exercises his talents.
Vaughn has one of the funniest characters I’ve seen in a while as a man who just wants to get laid, makes a sacrifice for his friend, and really experiences all sorts of torture for it. While the very sexy Isla Fisher who snuck up on audiences upon its release is laugh out loud hysterical as the insane demented Claire who isn’t afraid to go above and beyond to please Jeremy. She’s insane resorting to all sorts of measures and clinging to him after one sexual encounter. Fisher, wife of Ali G, performs her comedy with ease, and utter flair. She has a knack for physical comedy torturing Jeremy when in doubt of his affection, and Vaughn handles her dementia with finesse. The funniest scenes in the film are between them, and Vaughn is never afraid to steal the scenes from Wilson.
Fisher steals the show with her comedic flair and utter sex appeal, while Vaughn plays off that giving great chemistry. That said, “Crashers” is just way too long featuring a meandering and less funny second half that I found pretty exhausting. While the first half was full of laughs, we enter in to more romance comedy territory that was too boring. It felt as if the movie was already finished and they were dragging it on leading to a really corny unfunny ending that was also incredibly typical with the declaration of love in front of a crowd. You figure for a movie intent on becoming original, they could have pulled off the climax much better in terms of comedy. The rest of the film features appropriately sleazy comedy that just worked, because the cast knew how to handle the humor, and the script never called for ridiculous gags to gauge laughter from the audience.
The hand job scene had me in tears, the quail hunting scene was hysterical, and the football sequence was classic. This was a comedy that was actually funny, and I’m shocked. Despite a lame second half, and an utterly corny climax, “Wedding Crashers” is surprisingly a very funny adult comedy that finally brings us sleazy and very funny humor that is aimed particularly at an audience whom can actually go to the movies without their parents permission. With great acting, hilarious gags, and great writing, it actually lives up to the hype.
You’ve probably read this in my Miyazaki reviews possibly a thousand times, and I know if you say something enough it loses its meaning, but, who gives a crap? Miyazaki is a genius. There’s nothing else I can say. Words in the human language can’t express how brilliant Miyazaki is. Should I apologize for repeating this over and over in every review? I wouldn’t have to if you ever saw a film from the director. “My Neighbor Totoro” is the pure essence of Miyazaki. A man with a true clutch on the child spirit and imagination. He knows children, he knows how to touch children’s core emotions, and he uses that to express his wildest machinations. “My Neighbor Totoro” is without a doubt one of the sweetest and most heartbreaking animated films I’ve ever seen. Bar none.
