The set up to the Kevin Hart-Josh Gad comedy THE WEDDING RINGER may sound somewhat familiar. Gad plays Doug Harris, a fairly well-to-do guy who is as confused as the rest of us as to why a "catch" like Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) would give him the time of day, let alone agree to marry him, but that's exactly what's happened and they are just a coupe of weeks away from the big day. The problem is, she has seven bridesmaids and he had none because he's somehow managed to make it through life without making any lasting male friendships.
It's not unlike what Paul Rudd's dilemma in I LOVE YOU, MAN, only Doug decides that rather than simply tell his bride to be, he'd rather go through the trouble of lying to her about having said friends. Instead, he hooks up with Jimmy Callahan (Hart), a professional best man (something of a cousin to Will Smith's role in HITCH) who also can round up groomsmen not just as place holders but as trained fake friends who can convince the bride and anyone else who asks that they've known the groom for years.
As convoluted as the plot sounds, the execution is mostly funny thanks to a well-earned R rating (Hart in particular is so much funnier when he's not restrained by PG-13 limitations) and a strong and sizable collection of weird supporting players. The film throws so many jokes out that it feels like an all-out assault, but the result is that a few of them actually hit the mark. Gad is mainly on hand as the straight man, reacting to the extremities around him. When he's given good material, Gad can be quite funny (hello, “The Book of Mormon”), and there are a handful of moments in THE WEDDING RINGER, including an extended dance sequence with Hart, in which he really gets to shine.
But the real romance on display is between Gad and Hart. Jimmy makes it clear that once the wedding is over and he gets paid, their relationship is done and that Doug shouldn't get too attached. But it turns out that Jimmy doesn't really have many friends either, and the two seem to play well together, so a bond begins to form regardless. Director Jeremy Garelick and his co-screenwriter Jay Lavender might have made a better film if they'd gone either in the direction of strengthening the friendship aspect of the story or turning up the intensity of the outrageous behavior of the fake groomsmen. An Asian guy who loves to show his three testicles only goes so far. And the gag about Gad unknowingly getting some form of oral gratification from a dog is hardly cutting edge; I'm pretty sure I saw that on "Downton Abbey" last week.
I'll admit to laughing the most when Doug was in the presence of his future in-laws, who include the likes of Olivia Thirby (where the hell did she disappear to; it's good to see her back on the books), Cloris Leachman (who has one truly hilarious scene involving fire), Mimi Rogers as Gretchen's uptight mom, and my personal favorite, Ken Howard as her dad. Howard strikes absolute gold in a couple of scenes, spouting off emasculating insults at Doug at every opportunity. A impromptu mud-soaked football game between Howard and his former college football buddies and the groomsmen is highly amusing and so very violent.
The biggest thing THE WEDDING RINGER has going against it is not bringing a truly fresh take to the wedding comedy. It's not enough to simply let an audience laugh at rude behavior and the veritable freak show of odd characters; this film also wants to grab our hearts as these two immature grown men learn to find friendship with each other. Everything plays out pretty much exactly how you expect it will, and while surprise isn't a necessary pre-requisite to a successful comedy, taking chances and mixing things up a bit doesn't hurt. It was a closer call than I thought it would be, but THE WEDDING RINGER falls short because of a limp script that even a cast with this much potential can't save.
