I know a good number of socially awkward people and social butterflies and one thing I can say about both parties is that they are unique in their own way. More often than not, social butterflies tend to have strong connections and bonds with those tagged as socially awkward. This only goes to prove that unlike(opposite) poles attract… sometimes.
I was in the mood for some lighthearted entertainment today and so I went searching. A good number of film suggestions came up and out of the many suggestions, I opted for “The Wedding Ringer”. The title just seemed a little strange for a movie and moreover, I do not usually pass on the offer to see a film tagged comedy. As such, I gave in.
About The Movie
The film “The Wedding Ringer” centers around a man–Doug Harris– who is getting married in two weeks. Getting married is usually painted as fun but what if you're a socially awkward individual? Doug has no best man nor does he have any groom men for his upcoming wedding and to avoid looking like a loser, he decides to hire the services of a professional wedding ringer.
The film goes ahead to explore the world of professional wedding entertainment as Jimmy Callahan–the wedding ringer– swoops in to save the day. Jimmy is a charismatic and confident wedding ringer who makes a living helping socially awkward men assemble a fake wedding entourage.
The comedy film released on the 16th of January, 2015, was directed by Jeremy Garelick and spans for an hour and forty-one minutes.
Casts
The main characters gave it their all as it should be but the supporting characters seemed very vague. Some of the main and mention-worthy characters include;
Kevin Hart as Jimmy Callahan
Kevin Hart's presence in this movie was yet another reason why I opted to give the movie a try. He played the role of Jimmy the wedding ringer rather effortlessly.
Jimmy was an extroverted and confident human who got the idea to become a wedding ringer from a colleague friend. At first, it seemed like a fun thing to do but he eventually got sucked in due to the monetary benefits he derived from pretending to be a different person just for a few days.
Josh Gad as Doug Harris
Doug was the direct opposite of Jimmy; reticent and solitary. He could easily pass for an introverted nerd and as such, he had no friends. However, the girl of his dreams had said yes to his marriage proposal and he didn't want to make her regret her decision in any way.
Kaley Cuoco as Gretchen Palmer
Gretchen was Doug's fiancée who seemed to come from a well to do family. Doug Harris wasn't exactly her first choice on the spouse list but he was the safest choice and like they say, ladies tend to pick safety over any other thing seven times out of ten.
Olivia Thirlby as Alison Palmer
Alison was Gretchen's sister and the only person who seemed to perceive that something was amiss. If I were to describe her in one word, that would be ‘ambivalent’.
My Opinion
For a minute I wondered if there were actually people out there who work as professional wedding ringers. It seems like a lucrative gig and once the wedding is done, they can return to their regular lives. This film had me questioning many things. As far as I know, I've heard of instances where professional mourners are paid to cry during funerals. What is to stop people from hiring wedding ringers to make their wedding ceremony even more emotion-packed and glamorous?
This wasn't the best movie I've seen these actors feature in but it was certainly a decent and lighthearted movie. The satirical scenes were well timed and in general, the film was quirky but fun to watch.
One other thing I liked about this film was the portrayal of brotherhood and friendship. Two entirely opposite individuals came together to achieve a set goal and they were already acting as if they were old time friends who had known each other for years. Their endearing friendship was admirable.
However, there were a few cons, one being the poor development of every character aside from Jimmy and Doug. Basic background information about the supporting characters were not given. It felt like they just breezed in and out. Personally, I think that proper character development is key to creating a memorable film.
Another con was the pacing. The movie seemed overly rushed and as such, many important details were left out. One minute, Doug and Jimmy were getting to know each other and the next minute, they were already at a wedding party.
Nevertheless, the film came with some interesting highlights and one of my favourites was when Doug was forced to sing a song she didn't want to. A regular masculine tone was expected but he chirped in with an unexpected high note.
Here is a short to that particular scene. This scene may seem disrespectful to some people but it came off as hilarious for me.
Recommendation
This film fits well into the category of a heartwarming yet satirical film. It is a good movie for Kevin Hart fans, those looking for a feel-good film and even those who enjoy any wedding themed film.
I had a good time and an equally good laugh, as such, this movie deserves a 7.5/10 rating. If you're up for a feel good movie, then you should check this out.
Love🤍