Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more

 

Wedding Crashers (2005)

Director: David Dobkin

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Let’s get one thing clear from the off: an Owen Wilson buddy flick without Ben Stiller Just Isn’t Right. Although director Dobkin maintains that crucial slacker-psycho balance by employing Vince Vaughn’s powdered-nose manicosity as Wilson’s comic foil, you can’t help but feel there’s a gaping hole where a small ball of crimplene-haired intensity should be. Vaughn and Wilson play two divorce mediators who get their kicks from gatecrashing weddings, where they have a wild old time entertaining the kids, dominating the dancefloor, scoffing the cake and shagging the bridesmaids. All is sporadically amusing in their bubble of optimistic immaturity, until the abruptly mood-sapping spectacle of LUV rears it’s ugly head, forcing these less-than-boyish lotharios (‘we’re not that young,’ goes one refrain) to reconsider their priorities during a weekend break with Christopher Walken (don’t worry, it all makes sense on screen).Caught partway between sensitive rom-com and boisterous buddy-flick, ‘Wedding Crashers’ is never sure how to resolve this divide, and – abandoning any pretence at brevity – methodically works through a cornucopia of subplots, comic tones and supporting characters in a bid to find a solution. Walken crops up as a De Niro-style scary father-in-law, Jane Seymour briefly debases herself, Isla Fisher appears as an ancillary love interest and finally Will Ferrell is called in to make sure things close with a bang. The latter’s ten-minute cameo almost pays off but it’s too little, too late; the lack of comic sleekness has already proved fatal. It’s good, but it’s no ‘Anchorman’.

Author: PW

Time Out London Issue 1821: July 13-20 2005


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Features

Do overs!

Do overs!

After Race to Witch Mountain, what should Disney remake next?

Gray's anatomy

James Gray wants to push buttons—again.

The next big thing?

Gigantic Releasing tries to rethink indie distribution…without movie theaters.

Red Diva: Lyubov Orlova, First Lady of Soviet Cinema

So you think you can dance, comrade?

Puppet master

Coraline director Henry Selick takes stop-motion animation into 3-D.

Socratic method

Laurent Cantet's approach on the set matches the message of his film.

Wander woman

Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy puts a Bush-era spin on the road movie.

Oscars

Read our interviews with the nominees, our reviews of the nominated films and more.