“These guys can not be my groomsmen. It looks like the entire cast of Goonies grew up and became rapists!”
When Jim Batts reviewed THE WEDDING RINGER here at We Are Movie Geeks, he wrote: “…….First time feature director Jeremy Garelik tries to give the flick a frenzied pace by quickly cutting in for close-ups constantly, which never exhilarates, but merely exhausts the viewer. Every bit of business is hammered home, with little room for characterization. Subtlety? No way! No time! Got to get to the next big “gut-buster”…..(read all of Jim’s review HERE)
I didn’t see THE WEDDING RINGER when it played theatrically, but after catching up with it on Blu-ray, I’d have to say I liked it a bit better than Jim did, but of course I watched it at home as opposed to a theater full of people who may or may have not been laughing. The movie is very predictable, and it follows the basic format of these buddy movies where two guys are trying to pull off a scheme to fool everyone, however it does have some good laughs and the situational humor is enjoyable.
The simplest way to describe THE WEDDING RINGER is to liken it to a similar film, HITCH (2005), which starred Will Smith and Kevin James. However, THE WEDDING RINGER is a funnier film, much of that due to the actors’ on-screen chemistry. Jimmy Callahan a.k.a. Bic (Kevin Hart) is in the business of finding best men for guys who can’t find their own. His newest client Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is awkward and friendless, making him the perfect client for Bic, or so he thinks, until he finds out that Doug needs an entire wedding party of groomsmen – something that has never been done. Needless to say, Bic finds a gaggle of guys that Doug dubs as “Goonies” and it’s wedding day countdown to snap these misfits into tip top shape so that they are presentable for Doug’s in-laws. The plot is predictable but the comedic timing of Hart and Gad makes the film go down easy. The ensemble cast including Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting as the snooty bride-to-be and Cloris Leachman as her senile granny add a lot. I was particularly impressed with Ignacio Serricchio who played a gay…oops, not gay…oops, gay Latino wedding planner.
Sony will release THE WEDDING RINGER on Blu-ray April 28th and We Are Movie Geeks has had a peek:
The Blu-ray release of THE WEDDING RINGER features a crisp, striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer with an aspect ratio: 2.39:1. Colors are natural and lifelike on the whole, with carefully saturated skintones, satisfying black levels and excellent delineation. Detail delivers too, with little in the way of softness, noise or crush. Edges are clean and refined, while fine textures are revealing. Moreover, artifacting, banding, aliasing and ringing are nowhere to be found, making THE WEDDING RINGER stand out.
Sony’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track follows suit with intelligible, perfectly prioritized dialogue and a surprisingly rich and rewarding soundfield. The film’s soundtrack takes it up another notch as well, helping THE WEDDING RINGER embrace its comedy ambitions.
THE WEDDING RINGER Blu-ray includes a generous helping of extras:
- Audio Commentary: – Director Jeremy Garelick and Actor Josh Gad discuss the making of the film – they talk a lot and go into quite a bit of detail. It’s a fun listen though it would have been more better if Hart had joined them.
- Outtakes: Jewish Funeral (1:22), Yiddish (2:41), Bic Bic Bic (5:44), Flashlights (1:02), and Outtakes Reel (3:38).
- Line-O-Rama: really just an excuse for even more outtakes.
- Deleted Scenes (1080p): Plant a Tree in Israel (0:32), Cavity Search — Alternate (0:32), Doris Calls for Endo (0:36), Invent Our Own Past (1:03), Bic’s Special Prayer (1:42), Courthouse (2:43), Bad Best Man — Extended (4:34), PJ the Waiter (0:51), Night Plumbers — Extended (1:57), Holly Munk (1:40), Dirty Gretchen (1:02), Football Whoo-Ha (0:50), Wedding Procession (1:43), Hal Lane Roast (2:03), and Impressive Groomsmen (0:44).
- Going to the Chapel of Love runs 6 minutes and features the cast and crew sharing their real-life wedding memories
- Music Video “Can You Do This” by Aloe Blacc.
THE WEDDING RINGER is hardly a comedy classic but it has its moments and the Blu-ray looks and sounds great.
