Wedding Crashers (2005)

Having worked with both Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in other movies, director David Dobkin clearly understood how to combine their comedic skills in Wedding Crashers. Wilson's laid-back openness meshes perfectly with Vaughn's remarkable ability to be simultaneously totally selfish and incredibly loyal. The film opens with a rather long montage that shows how the pair act at the various expensive weddings they crash, and this sequence does nothing more than reveal behavior. There is no plot at this point for the audience to be taken in by. Dobkin feels such confidence in his performers and in his material that he takes his time while never sacrificing quality funny moments. The audience understands both of these guys so well by the time the plot kicks in that Dobkin can mix big set pieces (like a family dinner with outrageous behavior happening both above and below the table) with more intimate scenes between the characters. There are storylines that dead-end, most specifically and alarmingly the casual disappearance of Jane Seymour from the film after her big scene, but the sharp editing, confident pace, solid story structure, and winning performances by the leads (as well as Isla Fisher and Rachel McAdams) made Wedding Crashers one of the most enjoyable Hollywood comedies of the 2005 summer season. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide