Director: Jake Szymanski

Writers: Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien

Starring: Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine and Aubrey Plaza

Rating: ★★½

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is loosely based on a true story about two brothers who posted on craigslist that they needed dates for their cousin’s wedding. They interviewed countless strange and sometimes scary people but didn’t actually take any of them to the wedding, instead choosing to take friends to the wedding. The film changes this to their sister’s wedding and they are conned by two girls who just want a free vacation to Hawaii.

It’s a goofball comedy where you know what’s going to happen before it’s even started. There are no real surprises, it’s a feel good film that centres around a wacky premise. It’s full of adult humour, and enough jokes that even though half of them don’t land, it’s still funny and a good time.

Everything hinges on the cast and they are all fantastic. Zac Efron (Bad Neighbours) is always brilliant as the loveable goofy screw-up, and it’s on full show here. Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) is hilarious as Alice, who was recently left at the altar. She’s always one mention of the word wedding away from a full melt down. Adam DeVine (Modern Family) is great as someone who’s always trying to be the best at everything but isn’t. The standout performance is Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation). She is perfectly cast as the twisted Tatiana, who concocts the plan to con the two brothers.

For every joke that lands, there’s another that falls off to the side. There are plenty of jokes, and enough to keep it entertaining. The massage sequence, which because a main plot point, was probably funnier on paper, on screen it’s just awkward. There is a lot of adult humour and it’s really a mixed bag, it’s crude and goes for the easy laughs which don’t always work, but there’s still some genuine laughs to be found.

The biggest issue is that the film lacks a lot of heart. While the characters are funny and the performances are great, there’s no reason to really care about them. It’s not satisfying when things start to come together and it’s not sad or emotional in anyway when they fall apart. It’s just stuff that has to happen for the film to make it to the finish-line. Thankfully the great cast make this entertaining to watch and there aren’t any boring moments.

Mike and Dave is currently on Disney Plus, as one of the films they acquired from Fox. It’s not a classic film by any stretch, but there is fun to be had. It’s a good film to switch off to and laugh a little, but it’s nothing more than that.