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Easy laughs but little lingers
Trust me: Josh Gad (right) and Kevin Hart (left) play a would-be groom and his rental best man
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Trust me: Josh Gad (right) and Kevin Hart (left) play a would-be groom and his rental best man. (Screen Gems)" border="0" height="341" width="512">Trust me: Josh Gad (right) and Kevin Hart (left) play a would-be groom and his rental best man. (Screen Gems)The Wedding Ringer revolves around the socially challenged Doug (Josh Gad) who is about to marry a beautiful woman. However, he finds himself in trouble when he canât find anyone to be a groomsman.
Luckily, Jimmy (Kevin Hart), provides âbest-man servicesâ for the socially inept as an amazing best friend for hire. His services even include giving an emotional speech at the key moment.
Due to Dougâs complete lack of friends, Jimmy has to find him a team of groomsmen. Under pressure, he comes up with a very unusual group and they have only a limited time to get to know each other and learn to function as a true group of friends before the wedding.
The film was inspired by an experience of tyro director Jeremy Garelick, when a high-school classmate he barely knew asked him to be a groomsmen.
The script, penned by Garelick and Jay Lavender in 2003, became famous in Hollywood, grabbing the attention of Vince Vaughn, who asked the pair to write The Break-up.
Years later, The Wedding Ringer â Garelickâs directorial debut â has made it into production.
The comedy leans on the performances of Hart and Gad, who make a good team on screen. Gad plays a lonely guy, Doug, who does not have much going for him in terms of personality nor looks. Hart plays Gadâs charming âfriendâ.
Gad, currently shooting The Comedians for FX, also starred in The Internship, Love & Other Drugs and Zach Braffâs crowdfunded Wish I Was Here. While heâs not a bad actor here, heâs no Jonah Hill, either.
Trust me: <)
Trust me: Josh Gad (right) and Kevin Hart (left) play a would-be groom and his rental best man. (Screen Gems)
The Wedding Ringer revolves around the socially challenged Doug (Josh Gad) who is about to marry a beautiful woman. However, he finds himself in trouble when he can't find anyone to be a groomsman.
Luckily, Jimmy (Kevin Hart), provides 'best-man services' for the socially inept as an amazing best friend for hire. His services even include giving an emotional speech at the key moment.
Due to Doug's complete lack of friends, Jimmy has to find him a team of groomsmen. Under pressure, he comes up with a very unusual group and they have only a limited time to get to know each other and learn to function as a true group of friends before the wedding.
The film was inspired by an experience of tyro director Jeremy Garelick, when a high-school classmate he barely knew asked him to be a groomsmen.
The script, penned by Garelick and Jay Lavender in 2003, became famous in Hollywood, grabbing the attention of Vince Vaughn, who asked the pair to write The Break-up.
Years later, The Wedding Ringer ' Garelick's directorial debut ' has made it into production.
The comedy leans on the performances of Hart and Gad, who make a good team on screen. Gad plays a lonely guy, Doug, who does not have much going for him in terms of personality nor looks. Hart plays Gad's charming 'friend'.
Gad, currently shooting The Comedians for FX, also starred in The Internship, Love & Other Drugs and Zach Braff's crowdfunded Wish I Was Here. While he's not a bad actor here, he's no Jonah Hill, either.
Cheers: Kevin Hart (left) and Josh Gad in The Wedding Ringer. (Screen Gems)
Meanwhile, Hart is a comedian and actor recently seen in Think Like a Man and Ride Along, which will get a sequel later this year.
The film blends parts of The Hangover (which Garelick helped script), Wedding Crashers and I Love You, Man ' but does not reach the level of these films.
However, there are some unexpected plot twists and a few hilarious bits that made me laugh out loud, such as when Hart and Gad pull off a miraculously good dance routine.
The scene when the entire bachelor party is on the way to the hospital after an incident with canine sex ' let's not get into details ' is also worthwhile.
In the end, many characters ' especially the film's women ' are presented as one-dimensional. Gretchen, for example, is played by Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, best known for The Big Bang Theory. Her role never rises above a shallow materialistic and controlling soon-to-be-bride.
Unfortunately, the film simply goes for the cheapest laughs possible, leaving the comedic talents of a good group of actors untapped.
The jokes are as shallow as the friendship between Doug and Jimmy. Despite its attempts, the story is not emotionally plausible. Frenetic editing doesn't help.
Verdict: Viewers who like this sort of thing will find The Wedding Ringer the sort of thing they like.
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The Wedding Ringer
Cast: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting
Director: Jeremy Garelick
Producers: Adam Fields, Will Packer
Distributor: Screen Gems
Script: Jeremy Garelick, Jay Lavender
Run time: 101 minutes
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The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
