Movie Review: Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates

By the time I was scheduled to see "Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates" I was in need of some comedy, this was following the death of my Lola. If you're following me on Social Media, you know that it's been a tough week. Good thing "Mike And Dave" - real life brothers played by Zac Efron and Adam DeVine brought in the comedy. My spirits needed uplifting. 

Based on a real life Craiglist ad which has brothers Mike and Dave looking for respectable dates to bring to their sister's wedding in Hawaii (all expense paid) the film takes the story in it's own hands by mixing in wild party girls Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) as they wreck havoc in paradise. 

People may initially want to watch "Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates" because of Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick but Adam DeVine and Aubrey Plaza steal the show. The comedy is on queue and hilarious, it may be a little too raunchy at times but hey it's an R-18 comedy right? 

Weddings can always be stressful which is why adding a little fun and wild in one can never hurt right? Even if it's a combination of crazy cousins, party drugs and a little "extra service" -right? Well, let's say the boys got a bit more of what they can chew with wild party girls Alice and Tatiana and they don't even realize it yet but the very core of their symbiotic relationship is tested and even the closet brothers get into fights sometimes. 

The jokes could get a bit over the top but if you're looking for a fun movie with friends then this is the one too see! It may be a bit awkward for a first date movie, especially since there are some nudity in the movie, it may not have that family core lessons that R-18 comedy "Bad Moms" did but it's still a fun best friend/sibling movie. 

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a song and dance number! I mean, we do have alums from "High School Musical" and "Pitch Perfect" right? 

5.5 out of 10 "Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates" is still showing in cinemas! Stay for the blooper reel! I almost peed myself with that "Pokemon" joke. 

#MikeAndDavePH #MikeAndDaveMassage 

Movies: GET READY FOR THE HOTTEST MOVIE DATE EVER IN R-18 COMEDY “MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES”

 Unapologetically wild and based on a true-to-life ad gone viral, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” hits theatres on September 14 nationwide starring Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick.             

 In “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” Mike and Dave are brothers (played by Devine and Efron),  warned by their family to smarten-up their hard-partying ways before their sister’s wedding in Hawaii, and to bring two respectable girls as dates. After posting an ad on Craigslist, they’re contacted by a cadre of prospective suitors, and they ultimately settle on Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza), whose interest in Adam and Dave extends to little more than the prospect of a free holiday on the islands.  But the girls they finally chose, aren’t quite as wholesome as they expect. And as the real Stangles explain, some artistic license has been taken to turn the film into this year’s hottest comedy.

The other woman in the boys’ life is, of course, their sister Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard), whose Hawaiian wedding provides the backdrop for the unexpected girls-gone wild / dates-gone-horribly-wrong hijinks.   But Jeanie’s big day is also ground zero for the guys’ determination that Jeanie be happy—no matter how crazy things get. 

"Mike and Dave are party boys with good intentions,” Beard shares of her onscreen brothers.  “Jeanie was like that, too, when she was growing up with them.  They’ve protected Jeanie her entire life, but now there’s a new man in her life, her fiancé Eric, and he brings out her sweeter side.”

 

A special massage brings out yet another side of Jeanie.  Having been accidently mauled by an ATV driven by…who else?...Mike,  Jeanie is ready for some serious rest and relaxation.  A nice massage seems like the perfect idea, but Alice has something a little more potent in mind for Jeanie.  She makes arrangements with the masseur, Keanu, for him to go the extra mile. 

 Beard says filming the scene was a highlight for her—not only of the film, “but of my life!” she exclaims with a laugh.  “My bare butt was exposed for almost an entire day’s shooting, and I was being used like a slip ‘n slide.  The scene was a little sweaty, a little oily, but all great.   I was laughing so hard, which was interesting because Jeanie is getting so much pleasure out of the massage, that all the shaking of my body from laughter kind of worked for the scene.”

 The brothers are determined not to screw up their sister Jeanie’s destination wedding.  “Mike and Dave love Jeanie and Jeanie loves them, as well,” director Jake Szymanski continues.  “She just wants her special day to go without a hitch.”

 “Mike and Dave adore their sister,” confirms Efron.  “Their mantra is: ‘We’re doin’ it for Jeanie!  Everything we do is for Jeanie!’  They protect and love her and have put her on a pedestal.  She forgives them for all the mischief they do.”

"Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” in cinemas nationwide on September 14 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Movies: WILD GIRLS MEET PARTY BOYS IN "MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES"

Anna Kendrick, Zac Efron, Adam DeVine and Aubrey Plaza star as the troublesome quartet in the upcoming adult romantic comedy, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” where boys meet girls by accident (literally!).

                The R-rated movie “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” where DeVine and Efron take on the titular roles, are warned by their family to smarten-up their hard-partying ways before their sister’s wedding in Hawaii, and to bring two respectable girls as dates. After posting an ad on Craigslist, they’re contacted by a cadre of prospective suitors, and they ultimately settle on Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza), whose interest in Adam and Dave extends to little more than the prospect of a free holiday on the islands.

                The film is based on a true story – though the real Mike and Dave sensibly decided not to bring dates from Craigslist in the end.  The motion picture takes the intriguing idea of two brothers finding dates for a wedding and runs with it, adding unexpected layers of heart and two outrageous new lead characters.  Mike and Dave have reassured their sister and parents that they’ve got the wedding wired.  There will be no craziness, stunts, mischief, trampolines (don’t ask!) or fireworks.   They’ve found the perfect dates to keep things under control.

                 “The dates, Tatiana and Alice, were fun to write because they’re balls-out,” says scribe Cohen.  “They’re pretty intense, crazy, down-on-their-luck, tough chicks who decide they need a break and, after hearing about Mike and Dave’s ad, they transform themselves into nice, sweet, respectable-looking women.  But as soon as they arrive in Hawaii, they go into extreme party-mode and start ruining things.”

                Mike and Dave certainly know how to rock a room, but they’re small-timers compared to their dates.  As background to Alice and Tatiana, Szymanski observes that they “have a history of misadventures that have taken them around the world.   They can travel around the globe with only a couple of backpacks, and have stories to tell for ages.”

                When we meet Alice, she is heartbroken, having been left at the altar.  “So a wedding is about the last place she should be,” says Anna Kendrick, “and her downward spiral continues.”  Alice’s coping mechanism:  alcohol.  At her core, Alice is somewhat innocent.   “It’s nice play such a naïve character,” adds Kendrick.  “And Zac’s character, Dave, is just as innocent.  A surprising kind of gentle comedy comes out of that double-naivety.”

                Aubrey Plaza describes Alice’s cohort Tatiana as a founding member of the Bad Girls Club.  She’s a tough bitch from Philadelphia who doesn’t take s*** from anyone.  Tatiana likes to party and go on adventures.  She is the Alpha in any group.”    Underneath that tough exterior, though, are some soft and chewy feelings about her pal Alice.  “Tatiana wants to help her best friend get her groove back after she’s gone through a really bad breakup,” offers Plaza.  “Mike and Dave’s ad for dates to their sister’s destination wedding is a chance for a free vacay, to party endlessly and get that groove back.”

                As for the brothers, whatever their differences, Mike and Dave are tight.  “They have a symbiotic relationship,” says Efron.  “They can’t exist without one another.  They’re as much best friends as they are brothers.”

                “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” opens September 14 in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Movies: VIRAL NEED-A-DATE AD TURNED MOVIE IN “MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES”

Based on the real story of brothers Mike and Dave Stangle, who posted the following ad on Craigslist stating their need for wedding dates for their cousin’s wedding:  TWO MEN NEED WEDDING DATES : My brother and I are looking for wedding dates.  We've been told by the bride that bringing dates is "mandatory" so we "won't harass all of my friends all night" and "stay under control.” Rather than ask some fringe women in our lives to go and face the inevitable 'does this mean he wants to take it to the next level!?' questions, we'd rather bring complete strangers and just figure it out. Still reading? In anticipation of your questions we've developed an FAQ section below. 

 The ad became a viral phenomenon in hours, and the story soon spread from the internet to media outlets the world over. It also displayed a remarkable prescience; the boys estimated an 85% chance of their story becoming a movie, though they said, “we refuse the right to let Ashton Kutcher play either one of us.”

 Well, as luck would have it, their story is now a movie – “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” and there isn’t a Kutcher in sight. In the movie, the titular Mike (Adam DeVine) and Dave (Zac Efron) are also brothers, warned by their family to smarten-up their hard-partying ways before their sister’s wedding, and to bring two respectable girls as dates. But the girls they end up choosing, played by Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza, aren’t quite as wholesome as they expect. And as the real Stangles explain, some artistic license has been taken to turn the film into this year’s hottest R-rated comedy.

 

The core of the film’s comedy and much of its heart is the brotherly bond between the two guys.  “Mike and Dave are close,” states director Jake Szymanski.  “They’ve grown up together, still live together, work together, party together, and ultimately learn some lessons together.”

"Mike and Dave adore their sister,” confirms Efron.  “Their mantra is: ‘We’re doin’ it for Jeanie!  Everything we do is for Jeanie!’  They protect and love her and have put her on a pedestal.  She forgives them for all the mischief they do.”

 To make this wedding go smoothly for Jeanie, Mike and Dave are told they must bring dates to the nuptials.  “So, Mike and Dave come up with a ‘foolproof’ plan to find respectable dates,” says Devine.  “They troll for them on Craigslist—where they can also find lawnmowers and stuff.”

While the filmmakers strove to capture specific aspects of the siblings’ personalities, the physical differences between the real and reel Stangles were striking.  “I want to say that Mike and Dave are around 11 feet tall,” Devine notes.  “They made me and Zac Efron [who plays Dave] feel like little elf people.”

And what did (real) Mike and Dave make of this whole “Hollywood” experience?  “They got guys to play us who are not as good looking as us, or as tall, but they are better actors,” says Dave. “I’ll give them that.  And Stephen Root, who plays our dad, seems to like us more than our real dad.”

This year’s hottest R-18 comedy date movie – “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” will open in cinemas nationwide on September 14 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Movies: ANNA KENDRICK AND ZAC EFRON IN R-RATED COMEDY “MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES”

It all started with a Craiglist ad that became viral when real life brothers Mike and Dave Stangle are looking for dates to bring to a wedding - sounds crazy but it really happened.  Their story reaches the big screen in the hilarious and  aptly titled “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” starring Anna Kendrick, Zac Efron, Adam Devine and Aubrey Plaza.

 Mike (Devine) and Dave Stangle (Efron) are young, adventurous, fun-loving and, some would even say, obnoxious.  The “some” would include other members of the Stangle family.  So when their sister Jeanie announces she’s getting married, the family holds an intervention, demanding that Mike and Dave bring respectable dates.  To fulfill their family’s request Mike and Dave turn to the best source of decent, respectable girls they can think of: Craigslist.  They place an ad promising that their selected companions will receive an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii and the chance to participate in all of the Stangle family wedding-related activities.

 Along with its R-rated humor, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” has unexpected moments of heart.  Jake Szymanski, who makes his feature directorial debut after helming hilarious short form comedies on “Funny or Die,” says:  “The Stangle family is very tightly-knit, even when they disagree.  They’re very proud of being Stangles, so they’re just trying to have one family event that doesn’t get completely screwed up by Mike and Dave.”

 

When tuning in to their back-and-forth banter, it becomes clear that the Stangles’ primary interest is entertaining each other.  If anyone else thinks they are funny too, well, so much the better.  Before long the idea of a book emerged.  Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (and a thousand cocktails) continues with the same volley of dialogue and ideas; Mike does a chapter, then Dave does a chapter and so on. 

 Whatever their differences, Mike and Dave are tight.  “They have a symbiotic relationship,” says Efron.  “They can’t exist without one another.  They’re as much best friends as they are brothers.”   

 Mike and Dave certainly know how to rock a room, but they’re small-timers compared to their dates.  As background to Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza), director Szymanski observes that they “have a history of misadventures that have taken them around the world.   They can travel around the globe with only a couple of backpacks, and have stories to tell for ages.”

 

“The characters were great inventions of our writers,” notes Ready.  “Tatiana is a mix of danger and sexuality, and everything she does is pretty extreme.  Alice is a wild child who is always unpredictable.  They are in such different places in their lives, and yet these wedding dates are just what they need.”

 The burgeoning brotherly bond between Devine and Efron was facilitated by the opportunity to spend considerable time together on location.   Says Devine:   “Zac and I arrived in Oahu two weeks before production started, and we didn’t know anyone else there.  Who else am I going to hang out with?  So we obviously were just going to hang out with each other every day and that was great planning on Fox’s part, because we became the best of buds.  By the end of production, he says with a laugh, “we finished each other’s sentences in a weird way.”

 Rated R-18 by the MTRCB, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” opensSeptember 14 in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.