Here’s one comedy that you should be making a beeline for. David Dobkin’s stateside summer hit “Wedding Crashers,” featuring unsung comedy actors Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as a pair of carefree and unscrupulous wedding crashers, is actually very, very funny. Indeed, their brilliant camaraderie and perfect comic timing are what make the film, alongside an outstanding supporting cast that includes Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymour.
Wilson and Vaughn play John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey respectively, a pair of Washington D.C. divorce mediators who think weddings are nothing but an opportunity to bamboozle bridesmaids and meet tons of women. The pair is a hit at every party - thanks to their natural charm, and their ability to cook up phony tears, fancy dance moves and feigned interest in just about anything and everything. After a few uproarious wedding ceremonies, they decide to take a chill pill for the season, until Jeremy decides to throw them into the rarefied social circle of state treasurer William Cleary (Walken). What begins as a harmless outing turns into a rollercoaster ride for the duo as John falls for William’s lovely daughter Claire (an extremely likeable McAdams) while getting seduced by William’s horny, middle-aged wife Kathleen (Seymour); and the usually happy-go-lucky Jeremy freaks out when he gets stalked by William’s sexed-up daughter Gloria (Isla Fisher) and the former’s eccentric gay artist son Todd (newcomer Keir O’Donnell). Thus begins a series of hysterical comic misdemeanors - interspersed with some genuine moments between John and Claire - as the film take us through many unapologetically raunchy scenes, including a laugh-out-loud under-the-table tickling number involving Gloria and Jeremy.
Sure, some of the jokes are borderline toilet humor, but the top-notch cast is having such a good time in their roles, you’d easily forget this little glitch. The versatile Vince Vaughn is outstanding as the fast-talking Jeremy, who rattles off lengthy, ridiculous stream-of-consciousness monologues with ease. The romance between John and Claire is also delicately handled here, and director David Dobkin doesn’t succumb to schmaltz to highlight their relationship. One of the year’s most unexpectedly romantic comedies may turn out to be one of the funniest too - granted, this year’s young. Crash this film now.
Best Bit: Gloria fiddling with Jeremy’s man-matter under the table.