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Blu-ray Review: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

When I heard that I’d be reviewing the Blu-ray release of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates my first thought was, “Man, I hope the disc includes tons of bloopers!”. I clearly should have heeded the central lesson from the 2014 Anna Kendrick film Into the Woods (ie. be careful what you wish for) because most of the special features are, indeed, bloopers and, I’m sorry to report, are uncomfortably unfunny. Keep in mind that I was sober when watching all of the aforementioned features and am about 15 years older than the intended audience demographic for the film. All the same, I couldn’t help but wonder who the poor soul at Fox Home Entertainment was who put together the Blu-ray package.

In the Gag Reel lead actresses Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick both openly state that they hate the film while lead actors Adam Devine and Zac Efron mock the title of the film. Oh it gets worse from there. In one of the Funny or Die Shorts, the one where Devine is mocked for complaining about how loud the clapper/scene marker is, at least half of the actors interviewed are confused as to the point of the feature and say that it’s a complete waste of their time. Indeed. If these are jokes then nobody seems to be in on them. And yet the worst offense is saved for director Jake Szymanski, who is interrupted every ten minutes or so during his director’s Commentary Track and given “helpful” tips by a young female assistant, such as “don’t breathe too heavily into the mic” and “you don’t have to speak the entire time”. Szymanski seems taken aback each time the assistant chimes in and I admit that I turned the commentary track off after the first half an hour because the constant interruptions made it far too uncomfortable to listen to.

Thankfully the film is still a riot to watch and the women in the film (notably Canada’s own Sugar Lyn Beard and Americans Alice Wetterlund and Aubrey Plaza) are comedic marvels. Pick up the Blu-ray for the film but skip the special features.

 

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is currently available for purchase on Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD.

Leora Heilbronn

Leora Heilbronn is a Toronto based film aficionado who has a weakness for musicals and violent action flicks. She can often be spotted reading a wide range of literature or listening to show tunes.