Review of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) by Johnny T — 10 Jul 2016

It's a frustrating experience; a lot of the individual gags work quite well, but they never build to anything cohesive. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates lopes along with bumptious likability but no real energy, urgency, structure, or wit. Doesn't even convincingly craft its own internal reality. Zac Efron is a good-looking man but he brings little in the way of screen presence to the movie. There's little to differentiate Dave from the character Efron played in the two Neighbors movies. Adam Devine has the unenviable role of playing the loud, socially awkward brother and his performance consists of overacting and making strange faces. Anna Kendrick, the Pitch Perfect princess, fails to convince us that she can be a bad girl. The only one who fits comfortably into her role is Aubrey Plaza, who is credible for about two-thirds of the proceedings until the script assassinates her character. There are no rules or character motivations, words come out of Zac Efron's mouth when it isn't moving, and Anna Kendrick's wig changes color seemingly at random. The film focuses so much time on madcap hilarity that it forgot to flesh out its characters. As such, the performers are forced to rely on the superficiality of their natural personas. There's nothing clever here. The filmmakers believe that broad, obvious gags, pratfalls, and profanity-laced tirades are inherently funny. They're not.

VERDICT: "Not So Hot" - [Negative Reaction] These films are truly terrible films. They are not the worst things ever made, but they are definitely awful and should not be seen by anyone. (Films that are rated 1.5 or 2 stars).