Socially awkward Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is two weeks from marrying the girl of his dreams, Gretchen, (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), but he has a problem: He doesn’t have any groomsmen for the occasion. Desperate and running out of time, Doug calls upon Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), owner and operator of Best Man Inc., a company that provides attendants for friendless grooms. As Doug tries to pull off the con, a bromance unexpectedly blossoms between Jimmy and himself.
If you’re a fan of films such as The Hangover and Think Like A Man Too then you’re going to pretty much rate this film too, Even if it is a watered down version. Yes the storyline maybe a bit tired and we’ve seen these antics so many times before, and you can’t help but think they may have borrowed ideas from the likes of The Wedding Crashers but let’s face it there are many scenes where you find yourself actually laughing from the very depths of your stomach.
However, there are a few cringeworthy moments where even I pulled that ouch face, mainly as it touches on sexism and homophobia, leaving you feeling awkward and wondering why the hell the script writers really felt the need to include those kind of jokes, really they were unnecessary. Like many of these films the momentum of the story is pretty much in full flow and doesn’t give up until the last quarter where it falls so flat, the jokes fry up and the story actually has nothing about it that’s remotely interesting, it leaves you feeling drained.
One stand out scene has to be Kevin Hart and Josh Gad outstanding different dance routines, these boys can really move, well the shocking part was Gad not looking stiff. Anyone would have thought by just looking at him he didn’t have a groovy bone in his body but the boy can move. It’s actually one of the funniest scenes throughout the whole film too.
There’s just one thing about Kevin Hart, He certainly knows how to latch onto something he knows what works for him best. The instant you see Hart is going to be in a film you instantly know how it’s going to pan out. The Wedding Ringer really is no different accept for once he doesn’t play a complete idiot with an ego the size of Mount Everest. Gad and Hart together seemed to have that chemistry on screen which so many actors miss between those of the same sex. Each complimented each other well and it was actually quite refreshing to not only see these two being hilariously funny but they weren’t afraid to show their sensitive sides too.
This maybe your generic, standard bachelor comedy formula but it’s a film you can let your hair down to, silly, crass and wildly predictable but you’ll find yourself having a cracking good laugh.
Released on the 20th of February
