Review: The Wedding Ringer
There is no such thing as a successful template in the movies. Using the same formula does not always produce the same results. What works for one film does not work for another. So here we have The Wedding Ringer, which shares many of the same components as Get Hard - Kevin Hart as one half of an odd couple pairing, a questionably comical scene involving fellatio, women shunted to the sidelines, stereotypical supporting characters, screenwriters making their feature film debuts - but is funnier and more satisfying by miles.
Doug (Josh Gad) is the introverted schlub who has, against all odds, landed Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), the type of girl who would never look twice at a guy like him. They're due to be married in 10 days, but Doug finds himself in a bit of a dilemma - he has no best man. Cue Jimmy Callahan (Hart), a professional best man for hire who will stand by your side during the ceremony and deliver a lump-in-the-throat-inducing best man speech. Doug's needs require more than what Jimmy's available packages have to offer. In fact, he tasks Jimmy with pulling off the mythical "Golden Tux," a full-service selection that not only involves Jimmy posing as Bic Mitchell, Doug's fictitious best friend who has been overseas serving as a U.S. military minister, but finding seven guys to masquerade as Doug's groomsmen.
Hearty laughs ensue as Jimmy wrangles a random cast of characters to fill out Doug's wedding party. Amongst them: redneck ex-con Fitz (Colin Kane), stuttering slab of beefcake Kip (Alan Ritchson), three-testicled Asian Kendo (Aaron Takahashi), and shoulder-popping Bronstein (Dan Gill). "It looks like the entire cast of Goonies grew up and became rapists," Doug notes upon meeting them for the first time. Jimmy, meanwhile, meets Doug's future in-laws during a family brunch that starts off well enough before chaos takes over and Grandma (Cloris Leachman) goes up in flames. "How do you like your grandma?" Gretchen's dad (Ken Howard) asks at the hospital. "Medium? Well-done?"
The Wedding Ringer's high point may be Jimmy and Doug taking to the dance floor at a wedding. Hart and Gad break out a slew of dance moves, ranging from the Charleston to the Dougie, and perform them with unbridled exuberance. The duo make an engaging pair - Gad withstands the vortex of Hart's rat-a-tat energy with aplomb, and it is a nice change of pace to have Hart play a character that isn't trying to compensate for or deprecate his small stature. The endlessly energetic comedian still gets the laughs, but this time from Jimmy's confident moves as he skillfully dodges anything that could potentially give the game away.
The Wedding Ringer
Directed by: Jeremy Garelick
Written by: Jeremy Garelick, Jay Lavender
Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Olivia Thirlby, Cloris Leachman, Ken Howard, Mimi Rogers, Jenifer Lewis, Jorge Garcia, Colin Kane, Alan Ritchson, Aaron Takahashi, Dan Gill, Affion Crockett
