The Wedding Ringer movie review (2015)

That was not a dig on the diminutive Hart, I swear! A little of his patented, rat-a-tat comic shtick tends to go a long way; here, his pairing with the sweet, shlubby Josh Gad tempers him somewhat. The two actors have a nice chemistry with each other which helps enliven the film’s formula: a familiar mix of bromance and raunch. And while you know where this story is headed from the very start, director Jeremy Garelick and his co-writer, Jay Lavender, throw in a few welcome detours.

Gad stars as Doug Harris, a successful Los Angeles tax attorney who’s about to marry a woman he thinks is completely out of his league: the pretty, blonde Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). While Gretchen is obsessing over salad dressing flavors (and is generally depicted in stereotypically controlling, materialistic fashion), Doug is trying to hide from her and their flamboyant wedding planner, Edmundo (Ignacio Serricchio), that he doesn’t have any groomsmen to go along with her seven bridesmaids. He doesn’t even have a best man. Because he has no real friends.

It’s not that Doug is a bad guy. Quite the contrary – he’s obviously kindhearted, caring and decent to the core. But he’s also a little awkward when it comes to making pals. So on a tip from Edmundo, he pays a visit Hart’s Jimmy Callahan, a best man for hire. Jimmy can plan your bachelor party and deliver a killer toast. He can round up as many groomsmen as you need. He can do every type of ceremony imaginable. But he’s quite clear about the fact that he’ll be out the door once the cake is cut because he’s not your real friend.

Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. This is essentially the same premise as the 2009 comedy “I Love You, Man,” in which Paul Rudd plays a man who’s engaged but doesn’t have many male friends, so he goes on a series of “dates” to find a best man and ends up with the charming but overpowering Jason Segel. But – as you might imagine – there was a delicacy there and an honesty in that movie which are mostly lacking in “The Wedding Ringer.” The latter film hints at a male relationship that’s more meaningful, but more often would rather go for a crass gag involving a Basset hound and some peanut butter.