Comedian Kevin Hart has been appearing on screens big and small for about fifteen years now, but only in the past year or two has he become really famous. In 2013, there was his well-received concert film "Let Me Explain" and his strong supporting performance as the comic relief in "Grudge Match". In his first lead role (2014's "Ride Along"), he seemed to be trying too hard and his schtick wore thin long before the movie was over. But it seems that with the experience he has gained, if he's given a good script and a wise director, he's able to carry a movie and be funny throughout. That's the case with "The Wedding Ringer" (R, 1:41).
In his first film of 2015, Hart plays Jimmy Callahan, a best man for rent. He's hired by guys who don't have any close friends and need a temporary best friend for their weddings. It's a creative premise and well-suited to Hart's talents. Part serious businessman, part huckster and part entertainer, Jimmy does his job very well. And he's very professional. He'll give you his all, but then after you've paid him, that really is all. No real friendship and no further contact – unless you buy the package that includes the annual birthday phone call (or, as in one scene, you die and Jimmy reprises his role as your best friend to do the eulogy at your funeral). When you hire Jimmy, he'll assume whatever name and backstory you invent in order to explain your friendship and he'll even take photos with you, staging events or trips during which the two of you allegedly had a great time.
Enter Doug Harris (a well-cast Josh Gad). He's a successful tax attorney who moved around a lot as a kid and, as an adult, is consumed by work. Consequently, he has no real friends. But somehow, he landed a hot girl named Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) who wants a big wedding – and he needs SEVEN groomsmen! HELP! Well, help is what Jimmy Callahan does. But seven groomsmen? That kind of package isn't even in Jimmy's brochure! It's called "The Golden Tux" (the movie's original working title, by the way), and has so far only existed in rent-a-best-man mythology and is considered impossible to pull off. Jimmy tries to refuse Doug, but for $50,000 (plus expenses), he agrees to accept the challenge. Jimmy assembles a rather motley crew of guys that Doug says "look like the cast of 'The Goonies' grew up and became rapists." Regardless, it's the best Jimmy could do on short notice and the guys get to work. They learn their new identities (starting with Jimmy as a guy named "Bic Mitchum" who is from North Dakota and is a priest in the Army) and create a friendship history with Doug. Somewhat predictably (but no less entertaining), Doug and his newly hired "friends" begin to bond during the course of their professional relationship. In the end, every relationship in the movie is transformed and most of the characters have learned some lessons about friendship and sincerity.
What could have been (and may even sound like) a trite rom-com or buddy comedy is actually fresh and funny. There's physical comedy, a variety of jokes that are well-written and well-timed and some pretty outrageous situations and sight gags that will make you laugh, even when you're wondering if you should. Politically correct this film is not. What it is, is creative, entertaining and, in the end, even sincere. Best of all, Kevin Hart seems to have found his groove – a mixture of over-the-top, subtle and thoughtful. It's a combination that I think will serve him well. At least, I hope so. I'm looking forward to his inspired pairing with Will Farrell in "Get Hard" (out later this year) and "Ride Along 2" is also on its way. In the meantime, "The Wedding Ringer" gets a "B+".
In his first film of 2015, Hart plays Jimmy Callahan, a best man for rent. He's hired by guys who don't have any close friends and need a temporary best friend for their weddings. It's a creative premise and well-suited to Hart's talents. Part serious businessman, part huckster and part entertainer, Jimmy does his job very well. And he's very professional. He'll give you his all, but then after you've paid him, that really is all. No real friendship and no further contact – unless you buy the package that includes the annual birthday phone call (or, as in one scene, you die and Jimmy reprises his role as your best friend to do the eulogy at your funeral). When you hire Jimmy, he'll assume whatever name and backstory you invent in order to explain your friendship and he'll even take photos with you, staging events or trips during which the two of you allegedly had a great time.
Enter Doug Harris (a well-cast Josh Gad). He's a successful tax attorney who moved around a lot as a kid and, as an adult, is consumed by work. Consequently, he has no real friends. But somehow, he landed a hot girl named Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) who wants a big wedding – and he needs SEVEN groomsmen! HELP! Well, help is what Jimmy Callahan does. But seven groomsmen? That kind of package isn't even in Jimmy's brochure! It's called "The Golden Tux" (the movie's original working title, by the way), and has so far only existed in rent-a-best-man mythology and is considered impossible to pull off. Jimmy tries to refuse Doug, but for $50,000 (plus expenses), he agrees to accept the challenge. Jimmy assembles a rather motley crew of guys that Doug says "look like the cast of 'The Goonies' grew up and became rapists." Regardless, it's the best Jimmy could do on short notice and the guys get to work. They learn their new identities (starting with Jimmy as a guy named "Bic Mitchum" who is from North Dakota and is a priest in the Army) and create a friendship history with Doug. Somewhat predictably (but no less entertaining), Doug and his newly hired "friends" begin to bond during the course of their professional relationship. In the end, every relationship in the movie is transformed and most of the characters have learned some lessons about friendship and sincerity.
What could have been (and may even sound like) a trite rom-com or buddy comedy is actually fresh and funny. There's physical comedy, a variety of jokes that are well-written and well-timed and some pretty outrageous situations and sight gags that will make you laugh, even when you're wondering if you should. Politically correct this film is not. What it is, is creative, entertaining and, in the end, even sincere. Best of all, Kevin Hart seems to have found his groove – a mixture of over-the-top, subtle and thoughtful. It's a combination that I think will serve him well. At least, I hope so. I'm looking forward to his inspired pairing with Will Farrell in "Get Hard" (out later this year) and "Ride Along 2" is also on its way. In the meantime, "The Wedding Ringer" gets a "B+".