THE WEDDING CRASHERS
US, 2005, 119 minutes, Colour.
Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Mc Adams, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour.
Directed by David Dobkin.
The Wedding Crashers was an unexpected success in the summer of 2005. It appealed to the American audience looking for some laughs.
The basic premise is fairly crass: two divorce lawyers have a plan to crash weddings in order to meet up with prospective bridesmaids or other guests at the wedding for sex. Whatever the wedding, whatever the background, whatever the religious tone, they crash the wedding party with charm.
They have a series of rules – which come into difficulty when they crash the wedding of the treasury secretary (played by Christopher Walken, his wife by Jane Seymour). As they crash the party, they look to two of the bridesmaids. John (Owen Wilson) actually falls in love with Claire (Rachel Mc Adams) while Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) does his usual spiel with Gloria (Isla Fisher) who is very much in the wedding crasher league herself.
Complications occur when they break their rules and go to a weekend at the Cleary household. There are a great number of mishaps, especially with the enthusiasm of the patriarch of the family getting sports teams and playing off against each other, especially with John being the target of Claire’s fiancé (Bradley Cooper).
Jeremy seeks out the advice of a counsellor whom he admires – a cameo by Will Ferrell.
While the film starts with crass moments, it does have a lot of funny jokes and situations. With Owen Wilson playing against his usual type, rather more reticent, there is a bit more pathos and humanity in the comedy. Vince Vaughn, on the other hand, has never been better as the completely amoral wedding crasher.
The film moves towards a much more ethically acceptable ending, the two crashers realising something of the truth and the wastefulness of their lives and the crassness of their attitudes.
The film was directed by David Dobkin (the thriller Clay Pigeon, with Vince Vaughn, and Shanghai Nights with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson).
1. The appeal of the film? Age target? Men’s response? Women’s response?
2. The film as comedy, laughs, satire on yuppies, sex, comic issues? The seriousness of the issues – and the moral stances?
3. The world of lawyers, the opening, the two lawyers and their incessant talking, the couple and their clash, their giving up?
4. John and Jeremy as wedding crashers, their philosophy of life, the rules, the set-up by Chas? Going to the Jewish wedding, the collage of the other weddings, eating, dancing, their back-stories for each wedding, playing with the kids and making balloons, being charming to the adults, being the life of the party, the photos etc? Crashing to pick up girls, the sexual encounters? The moral tone – immature as the commented later, or in the words of Claire, pathetic?
5. The comic styles of Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, their working together, patter, timing, slapstick comedy? Jeremy as full-on, gorging when eating, sexual appetite? John, more restrained, charm?
6. The Clearys and the plan for crashing their wedding, Cleary as a significant politician, the wealthy family? The making up of the story as being the children of Uncle Ned? Crashing the party, making the balloons and the demanding boy wanting a motorbike? Playing with the kids? Jeremy and his being struck by Gloria, the dancing, the sex on the beach, her story about being a virgin, changing her story because she thought that was what he expected? His later shock? John, change of attitude, glimpsing Claire, watching her during the wedding? The discussion about her speech? Helping her? His being approached by her mother, her mother coming on to him? The discussion with the secretary, the talk about economics? The encounter with Sack(?) and his antagonism towards him?
7. Being persuaded to stay for the weekend, Jeremy wanting to go, John wanting to stay, Gloria’s tantrum with her father? Sailing, the home, the football match and its violence, especially from Sack and his friends? The group and the ethos of playing football? Jeremy being hit? The meals, Gloria and her sexuality at the table? John and his charm towards Claire, putting the medication into Sack’s drink? Claire and her being concerned about Sack? Todd and his behaviour, attitudes, paintings, homosexuality? His disdain for his father? The father trying to cope? His wife and her talking about infidelity, coming on – especially with John and in his bedroom, the breasts, calling him a pervert? Jeremy’s night – and Gloria, tying him up, Todd’s arrival, advances, the painting? Cleary coming in for discussions?
8. Cleary, the realism of his job, the speeches, economics? The families and his wanting to bring them together through marriage? Sport, expectations? The embarrassment of his mother and her forthrightness at the table? His wife and their leading separate lives? The dancing, the engagement party? The engagement – and his pride in his daughter? The married daughter and the speech about her being aware of people’s opinion of her? Todd and his art, homosexuality?
9. Gloria, personality, sexual encounter, Jeremy, talking to the priest, seeing it as equivalent of confession, the priest telling the mother? The months passing, the relationship with Gloria, being caught, wanting to marry her?
10. John, the drops, the clash with Sack, his sickness, learning the truth, being ousted? The talks with Claire, the walks, trying to be honest with her, her asking him whether the report was true or false?
11. The aftermath, John’s moping, dressing up as a waiter, Sack punching him out again?
12. The visit to Chas, Chas and his personality, dependence on his mother, the girls, his rules? Gross attitudes? Crashing funerals, John going – seeing Chas’s behaviour, coming to his senses?
13. Jeremy asking John to come to his wedding, his finally going? The ceremony, the declaration of love? Sack, the punch?
14. The ending – happy, moral?
15. A film of and for 30somethings, affluent, worldly? More than a touch pathetic in the characters and their crashing ambitions? Their coming to their senses?
