David Dobkin directs Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams in this raunchy comedy where two friends turn up to weddings uninvited to party for free and pull ladies… but then true love gets in the way.

For the first act, this is Vince Vaughn’s movie. His motormouth loveable arsehole shtick really rollicks. And he is given a neat foil / love interest / nemesis in insane hottie Isla Fisher. Easily her best role and she nails every laugh. The focus shifts off harmless cons, colourful weddings and bad behaviour pretty quickly. We have Owen Wilson falling for Rachel McAdams high society good girl (the catch is she’s already spoken for) and this eventually leads to breakdowns and extended ennui. Fun, right!? The good time is over way too quickly. The crash takes up far too much of the movie. People were recently getting shot in the butt for comic effect and now… suicide watch? The finale is reinvigorated by an extended cameo from Will Ferrell (always better in small doses). This is one of those big hits from the first decade that isn’t actually hobbled by its now dated laddish attitudes but it’s incorrect hypothesis that we care about plot more than jokes. Still the lighter sections are admirably packed.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)