Movie Review: ‘The Wedding Ringer’ Hart’s Best Film to Date

 

The dance scene with Doug (Josh Gad) and Jimmy (Kevin Hart) will go down as a classic scene (Photo Credit: Sony Screen Gems, Inc.).

 

You Are Not Alone

 

 1/2

 

Guys, you are not alone.  There are others like you and more than you think.

There are many guys out there who are loners and perfectly fine with it.  They would rather watch the game and drink a beer alone than hang out with the fellas at the sports bar.

They do not need constant companionship and moments where they confide in their friends and tell them their deepest and darkest secrets.

After all, that is a female trait and many men do not need that type of friendship until…their wedding day.

Sure, you have found the girl of your dreams and you want to give her the wedding of her dreams.

There is only one obstacle you have to conquer.

Who’s going to be your best man and give that heartwarming toast at the reception about you and your new beautiful and blushing bride?

Kevin Hart that’s who.

The diminutive actor might be many things but heartwarming does not seem like one of them.

However, Doug (Josh Gad) has no choice but to hire Jimmy (Hart) to fill in as his best man at his $200,000 wedding.

There is only one catch.  Not only does Doug not have a best friend, he has absolutely no friends and needs seven groomsmen in addition to a best man.

Doug never thought a girl as beautiful as Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) would be in the same game as he, let alone the same league.

Dimes (tens on a scale from one to 10) usually do not date deuces (or twos on a scale of one to 10), but maybe sometimes Hell does freeze over or women somehow lose their mind, because not only is Doug able to pull her, he is able to push down the doors of holy matrimony with a beauty queen on his arm.

Although he is shocked that Gretchen ever looked at him, he knows that the total truth about him might be the ultimate turnoff, so he lies about the number of friends he has, never knowing that one day he would need them to be a part of his wedding party.

His wedding coordinator refers him to Jimmy and Best Man, Inc. and the far-fetched lies commence.

Jimmy transforms into Bic Mitchum, a Black, Army priest who wears a collar and fatigues and hails from North Dakota (possibly the first and only Black man from North Dakota).

In “The Wedding Ringer,” Jimmy has pulled off every wedding lie from being an Ethiopian Jew to wearing a Billy Preston-looking afro to an Ike Turner-looking permed-out wig, so playing a military priest from North Dakota should be a piece of cake, right?

Not exactly.

Every film with Hart is filled with riotous laughter and “The Wedding Ringer” is no different.

Just remember fires, peanut butter and loving dogs.

Surprisingly, “The Wedding Ringer” is not only hilarious, but also charming and heartwarming at times.

Obviously, Hart is not considered a “serious actor,” but he might be the smartest and hardest working actor/comedian in the game.

While others like Chris Tucker rested on their laurels when they reached the top of the summit and only put out a movie every few years, Hart seems to put out a few movies every year, which is brilliant on his part.

Furthermore, Gad is underestimated and underappreciated for his comedic timing.  He is perfect for this role as well as other roles like his performance in “21,” which also showcased his comedic timing.

The Jeremy Garelick-directed film is arguably Hart’s best effort.  The writing from Garelick and Jay Lavender is not of the typical slapstick variety, although there are those moments, which work perfectly.

Writing in “The Wedding Ringer” is clever especially the final line from Lurch (Jorge Garcia).

While “Ride Along” may have been Hart’s “Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Wedding Ringer” may be his “Coming to America,” the classic that lives forever in the minds of his fans.  And his fans, in the millions, are far too many to ever be alone in their praise of Hart’s latest film.



REGAL RATINGS

FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT

THREE CROWNS=GOOD

TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE

ONE CROWN=POOR

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