With his wedding to Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) drawing near, financially successful tax attorney Doug Harris (Josh Gad) realizes that he has no close friends to be groomsmen. In desperation, Doug turns to Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart)—a professional best man—for help. Predictably, the buddy-for-hire plot turns into a bromance, as Jimmy's companionship changes Doug's nerdy life. Director Jeremy Garelick's The Wedding Ringer has a simple premise that begs a basic question: namely, how did socially awkward Doug ever win Gretchen's heart? Unable to elicit laughs from contrived jokes about rape and child molestation, Garelick encourages motormouthed comedian Hart to employ profuse profanity and he stages raunchy, degenerate bachelor-party hijinks with a pseudo-Russian stripper who smears peanut butter on Doug's private parts and brings in a beagle as a perverse “service dog.” In addition to humiliating Cloris Leachman, the film also wastes the talents of Ken Howard, Mimi Rogers, and Olivia Thirlby. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include select scene commentary by director Jeremy Garelick and star Josh Gad, a “Going to the Chapel of Love” behind-the-scenes featurette (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted scenes (24 min.), outtakes (15 min.), a “Line-O-Rama” outtakes reel (14 min.), the music video “Can You Do This” by Aloe Blacc, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a lame comedy.] (S. Granger)
The Wedding Ringer
Sony, 101 min., R, DVD: $30.99, <span class=SpellE>Blu</span>-ray: $34.99, Apr. 28 Volume 30, Issue 3
The Wedding Ringer
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