IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH When I saw Clay Pigeons, I was like “Vince Vaughn is cool.” When I found out he was 6’5”, I was like “Vince Vaughn is hot.” I’m not being superficial here, I mean he’s rather goofy looking and kinda paunchy, but I recognized an interesting caricature in him. You cannot deny that when you see him in action, you sense that this is a guy who’s experienced life maybe in some Rodney Dangerfield without the diffidence, mood- swings- depend- on- how- well- I- score- with- babes sort of way. He brings a defined aura to the screen, and that’s not something that most actors have the capability to do; Gary Oldman has it too. He’s not always completely likeable, in fact he usually portrays scuzz, but he’s always someone who’s human because he makes mistakes.

For Wedding Crashers, Vaughn pairs up with Owen Wilson, who is equally funny in a completely opposite way. Wilson has you empathize with him; he’s always the good guy in a bad situation. He purses his lips and squints, resembling the sadistic Church Lady from SNL rather than a saint, but somehow you’re sucked into his penitent image. He’s sorry, he’s sorry, alright already. For this reason, this movie works, tongue-in-cheek. Maaaybe it would be completely plausible that the divorce mediators that Vaughn and Wilson portray are so fed up with how love ends that they’d shun all hope of it ever beginning. Maybe it’s possible that two sisters could change all of that.

Sick of partying and empty self-fulfillment and casual sex with women he seduces at weddings, John Beckwith (Wilson) vows to search for something/someone better. His best friend and cohort Jeremy Grey (Vaughn) deems him a loon. At an elitist banquet, they both end up connected to daughters of Treasury Secretary William Cleary (Christopher Walken, Kill Bill vol. 1). After establishing a mutual attraction with Claire (Rachel McAdams, Red Eye) and comradery with Papa Cleary, Beckwith secures a weekend with the Cleary family and fate (and an overzealous screenwriter) fills it with misunderstandings, MILF deterrence, tortured art boy bashing, violent jealous boyfriends, possible Soulmates and bondage. Some people fall out of love, some in love. Ooh. Maybe even one last wedding to round it all out?

If that sounds like a good time, then this movie is perfect for you. It’s a phrenetic comedy that will have you rolling, mostly when Vince Vaughn’s mile-a-minute mouth opens. If you don’t mind the sad truth that women can be so desperate, then you’ll laugh along. Jane Seymour, Rebecca DeMornay, Dwight Yoakum, Will Ferrell, and a round of silicone implants now featured in Maxim magazine have quick cameos. There’s even a very very light and cheaply thrown together pseudo Prince Charming aspect –rescuing the Princess from the clutches of the ugly philandering bigot. Of course the main message is “hey, Love, it’s out there man” without all of that pesky sappiness and pretentiousness, well, except for the silly parts where Beckwith and Cleary coo while bike riding or beach strolling. If you prefer a movie that has depth and warmth and real emotion, crash somewhere else.

About the Author

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson says these directors/screenwriters rarely disappoint: Peter Greenaway, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Gus van Sant. Gregg Araki. Kris claims that Jake Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, Desmond Harrington and Casey Affleck are much more than pretty faces.

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