Wedding Crashers

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson enjoy an adlib-happy, almost Hope-and-Crosby-like chemistry in this laugh-riot as a pair of buddies—ironically talented divorce mediators by profession—who spend their free time attending strangers' weddings to score with girls. Opening with a perfectly-tuned comedy montage of receptions, toasts, dances, flirtations, sham war stories, fake tears, and sex scenes, the plot kicks in when the boys crash “the Kentucky Derby of weddings”—the Secretary of State's eldest daughter is getting hitched—and Wilson falls hard for the middle daughter (talented, bright-eyed Everygirl knockout Rachel McAdams). Forcing Vaughn to play along, dallying with the girl's psychotically perky-poo sister (born scene-stealer Isla Fisher), Wilson digs the pair a deep hole, and director David Dobkin finds a great balance between ribald humor and unexpected earnestness as they try to climb out. An incongruous avalanche of clichéd plot machinations in the last act come close to ruining what is otherwise the bawdiest, most consistently hilarious comedy of 2005. But while the poor wrap-up isn't enough to ruin Wedding Crashers, it crosses the finish line with a pronounced limp. Recommended. [Note: Available in either unrated widescreen or full screen versions, or a R rated widescreen version, DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with co-stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn; the other with director David Dobkin), the “Event Planning” featurette on the different weddings for the film (12 min.), three audience reaction clips with optional director's intro and commentary (11 min.), four deleted scenes with optional commentary (8 min), a “The Rules” featurette (8 min.), a text “Rules of Wedding Crashing,” the music video “Circus” by The Sights, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a popular comedy.] (R. Blackwelder)