Kendrick and particularly Plaza are perfectly cast as the “dates,” with each meeting Efron and Devine joke for joke in a movie that proves girls can get just as down and dirty as guys in this kind of studio summer comedy, which I would put definitely on a par with the similar (in some ways) Wedding Crashers.
If all of this sounds way over the top, it actually plays great, anchored by terrific comedic chemistry between the very funny Devine and the uber-sincere Efron, as good as he has ever been in one of these R-rated romps. The fun really ramps up with some hilarious set pieces including a has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed massage they gift Jeanie that turns, unbeknownst to the bride, into a sexual gymnastics bout with a scene-stealing naked masseuse (Kumail Nanjiani) an Ecstasy-laced late-night romp on the resort’s horses and an outing along the island’s hilly terrain during which Jeanie meets with an untimely accident that turns her face into something only the Elephant Man could identify with.
Nevertheless, Tatiana, who passes herself off as a teacher, convinces her it is a free trip to Hawaii with a couple of cute guys. Alice is particularly sheepish about going through with the plan as she has recently been jilted by her fiancee at the altar and spends her days watching the video of that horrifying moment over and over. These two arrange to find a way to accidentally meet a clueless Mike and Dave and convince them they are just what they want, without letting the guys know they know who they are. The ploy draws a number of possibilities, but most do not come close to passing the test in the meeting stage - until their quest gets them national publicity and an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, which is seen by Alice ( Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana ( Aubrey Plaza), a couple of real over-the-top ditzo girls.
But what do they get to do for most of the movie Hang out in Hawaii and party with essentially no thought as to the cost. How so Well, in the film, none of the main charactersand I mean noneare even fairly intelligent or particularly talented. So what do they do? As I explain in my video review above, the “true” part of the script from Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’ Brien, which was inspired by the Stangle brothers’ book, focuses on the pair advertising on Craigslist for a couple of proper girls they can take to Hawaii to act as dates for their sister’s big weekend. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a perfect example of this.
'Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates' Trailer: Can Efron & Devine Out-Party Kendrick & Plaza?.