Review of The Wedding Ringer (2015) by Russell G — 10 Jan 2016

There are good laughs and it more than passes the time but a few directorial decisions, and some of the writing have me frustrated at what this could be. The premise of an underdog hiring an entire wedding party to look cool is funny.

Fundamentally, it seems strange that any person would want to fool their soon to be spouse and family. Thankfully, the plot addresses this flawed line of thinking. Kevin Hart and Josh Gad are a lot of fun together.

Gad is believable as a lovable loser with no friends; we feel sorry for him like you should. Hart comes off as mouthy and deceitful but clever and willing to commit. The two have an agreeable chemistry.

All of that sounds good but Jeremy Garelick does not see it through as the director. The sentimental side is sound, which is admirable for a comedy, but the construction and execution of the jokes is not right.

Often it set up a gag but when it delivers the punchline they do not dig into it or take it far enough. Inversely, there are also incongruent moments of extreme gross out gags that might be funny in another movie, but not this one.

Garelick's best-known work, before this effort, was the terrible 2006 movie, The Break Up. It is a shame not to get the full effect of the simple but enjoyable premise and the chemistry of two likable leading stars.

A more skillful director with the ability to elevate a simple comedy could do a lot more with this. If you enjoy goofy comedies still see it, but just do not expect to remember it in five years.