Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

Frankly, I don't know what I've been doing with my life for the past years. I mean, I love Zac Efron since I was 14 so why on earth did I hear about Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates for the first time when a couple of weeks ago when Margaret from Cinematic Corner watched it? 

Anyways, the film follows Mike (Adam DeVine) and Dave (Zac Efron), two brothers with the tendency to screw up every important family event. As the wedding of their younger sister, Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard), approaches, Mike and Dave are told by their parents (Stephen Root and Stephanie Faracy) to bring good girls as dates at the destination wedding in Hawaii. They have the brilliant idea of posting an ad on Craigslist, all the women volunteer to be their dates and they end up on TV. Slacker party girls Tatiana (Audrey Plaza) and Alice (Anna Kendrick), not wanting to be just two other girls to be interviewed, find a way to meet the brothers and be picked. Of course, things in Hawaii don't go as smooth as Mike and Dave were hoping. 

The plot is bad, like really bad as nothing really happens other some a lot of ridiculous, absurd things —I'm having a really hard time believing this is based on a true story. In a few words, it's the typical, predictable "wedding where everything goes wrong" kind of plot where nothing that interesting goes on. That said, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates still manages to be somewhat unpredictable and engaging. 

Again, it's a movie that should not work as the characters too are terribly written —they are thin and none of them has much of an arc, and most of them are not even that likeable. We know nothing about any of them, so why should we care about the wedding, right? And yet I kinda got attached to them and, even though I didn't care whether Jeanie was getting married or not —to be honest, I was rooting for her and the massage guy lol—, I wanted things to work between Mike and Tatiana, and Dave and Alice.

20th Century Fox

It's the actors that made Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates work for me, that made it as entertaining and engaging as it was. While there are no Oscar-worthy performances in here, Adam DeVine and Zac Efron do a nice job as the brothers, both giving funny performances. Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick are both delightful, too bad the film doesn't really know what to do with them. The supporting cast does a decent job, Sugar Lyn Beard being the standout as Mike and Dave's sister.

As for the comedy, it is far from being clever, sophisticated. On the contrary, it's your typical raunchy, mindless comedy with dirty and vulgar jokes. Despite this, the film is funny and, while there are jokes and gags that fall flat, there are some pretty hilarious moments, and overall the film is quite enjoyable.

Isn't It Romantic (2019)

While I don't hate them as much as Natalie does, I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies. And truth to be told, I'm not the biggest fan of Rebel Wilson either. That said, I still decided to give Isn't It Romantic a chance because I'm a sucker for Netflix originals and the Hemsworth genes are too good to be ignored. 

The story of this one follows Natalie (Rebel Wilson), a young woman whose dream of living the perfect romance was shattered when she was just a girl as her mother (Jennifer Saunders) explained to her that there's no such a thing as a happy ending for girls that look like her. She is now an architect who lacks confidence and self-esteem and hates romantic comedies. One night she is mugged on the subway, she hits her head and wakes up the next morning only to find herself trapped into a romantic comedy.

Although it doesn't sound particularly smart, the plot to Isn't It Romantic is surprisingly clever, fun and engaging and makes fun of every single romantic comedy cliché you can think of, from the kiss under the rain to the gay friend who apparently doesn't have anything better to do other than being the obviously gay friend dispensing advice and popping out of nowhere. It eventually falls for some of the clichés it makes fun of and the ending is predictable and cheesy, but it works. In addition, unlike last year's I Feel Pretty, it's a story that successfully delivers its message of self-confidence and self-love, that you should be the one falling in love with yourself before anyone else.

The characters don't have a lot of depth nor development and some of them are quite the cliché, but they are funny —I loved Donnie, the gay friend— and sympathetic and the lead, Natalie, is probably the most relatable character I've seen in a romantic comedy as she is a smart, ambitious young woman as well as the biggest cynic when it comes to love.

Netflix

Rebel Wilson does a great job as Natalie. She gives a charming and funny performance and effortlessly carries the film on her shoulders. She is such a delight, I can't think of anyone else for this role. Adam DeVine gives a nice performance as Natalie's best friend Josh who has a crush on her, and his chemistry with Wilson is amazing. As for Liam Hemsworth, he does a wonderful job at being charming, and handsome and sexy as Blake, a rich client of Natalie's who falls for out heroine. Brandon Scott Jones kind of steals the show though as he gives a hilarious performance as Donnie.

Ultimately, Isn't It Romantic is the romantic comedy for those who, like me, don't like romantic comedies. It's a lighthearted, funny movie with a nice message, great acting, a clichéd yet good soundtrack, and some actually enjoyable musical numbers. A movie that is very likely to put a big smile on your face.