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| Miramax |
It was this time a year
ago that Kevin Hart became a January legend at the box office with the success
of Ride Along. Fast forward one year,
Hart’s newest vehicle, The Wedding Ringer,
attemptd to mimic that same success. Unfortunately, American Sniper had its own plans for success, preventing The Wedding Ringer from bringing in the
same type of numbers Ride Along did.
Though, this does not mean it has nothing to offer. As it is somewhat flat as a
comedy, The Wedding Ringer does
manage to find success with a more sentimental, even if extremely simplistic,
approach, also causing for one of Hart’s more well-rounded performances.
The Wedding Ringer is a
‘bromantic-comedy’ through and through with Hart and Josh Gad’s characters
sharing nearly every seen together. Doug (Gad) and Gretchen (Kaley
Cuoco-Sweeting) are getting married and while Gretchen has had no trouble
assembling her half of the wedding party, Doug has basically asked every male
he has ever met to be his best man but having no luck. With the wedding just
days away, Doug is desperate. This is where Jimmy (Hart), the self-proclaimed
‘wedding ringer’, comes into the picture. An actual business, Jimmy acts as a
groom’s best man. Doug comes to Jimmy, not just needing him as a best man but
also six other groomsmen (what Jimmy refers to as a ‘golden tux’). Reluctant at
first to take on this monumental task, Jimmy finally agrees to help Doug out.
The two now just have a handful of days to prepare to fool everyone on Doug’s
big day.
First and foremost, The
Wedding Ringer attempts to be a comedy but the problem is that it’s only mildly
funny. Sure, it has one or two big laugh moments but other than that, over
played, pointless gags, awful musical sound effects and awkward, fantasy-like
moments are scattered throughout the first two thirds of the film. For example,
one situation that is supposed to cause a roar of laughter involves a dog that
gets lock jaw, peanut butter and a bachelor party. Anybody can connect those
dots and when they are connected, it’s obvious that this bit isn’t anything new
or amusing. This type of humor keeps the film from really going anywhere for a
strong majority of its running time.
One aspect that needs
special note is how much of the laughs are supposed to be generated by the Doug’s
fake wedding party. When I say this, I am referring to the 6 men that aren’t
the best man, which excludes Harts character. I mean, ‘unfunny’ is an
understatement here. Each one is supposed to have their own quirky way but it’s
all nothing we haven’t seen before, therefore getting old fast and taking way
from Hart and Gad.
Fortunately, Hart and
Gad still dominate most of the screen time. Gad fits into the role of Doug, a
smart, successful man that really can’t be considered a ladies man but is a
nice guy to say the least. Gad does all he can with the role but isn’t given a
whole lot to work with. Hart, for different reasons than you would expect, is
the one who gathers most of the attention. At this current moment in cinematic
comedy, Hart is someone that has the ability to steal a scene. It is usually
due to the fact that his turbo charged, energetic approach is just down right
funny but the guy can also do it with just a smile. He is a joy to watch, plain
and simple. The Wedding Ringer
features this at times but for the most part Hart is a much more reserved,
especially in the films second half, than we are used to seeing. This isn’t a
bad thing by any means. As the film becomes less of a comedic romp about a guy
who doesn’t have a ‘best man’ and more about a guy who doesn’t have any friends
but is finding one, Hart is asked to tone down his signature style and become
more emotionally tied up into the situation. Now, Hart isn’t the next Jack
Lemmon but his subtle, heartfelt approach to this task has real flashes of
authenticity.
Yes, The Wedding Ringer has a few laughs here
and there but never really gets all the way down the aisle as a comedy. The
good news is that the last 20 to 30 minutes are actually halfway decent as it
quits trying to be a full out comedy and becomes a simple but worthy message
about friendship. Add this to increasingly likable characters in Doug and
Jimmy, along with Hart’s likability and The
Wedding Ringer isn’t a total lost cause.
Grade:
C+
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