Wedding Crashers (2005)

John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary.

Director:

David Dobkin

Writers:

Steve Faber, Bob Fisher

Stars:

Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken

10 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Owen Wilson	...	John Beckwith
Vince Vaughn	...	Jeremy Grey
Christopher Walken	...	Secretary Cleary
Rachel McAdams	...	Claire Cleary
Isla Fisher	...	Gloria Cleary
Jane Seymour	...	Kathleen Cleary
Ellen Albertini Dow	...	Grandma Mary Cleary
Keir O'Donnell	...	Todd Cleary
Bradley Cooper	...	Sack Lodge
Ron Canada	...	Randolph
Henry Gibson	...	Father O'Neil
Dwight Yoakam	...	Mr. Kroeger
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Mrs. Kroeger
David Conrad	...	Trap
Jennifer Alden	...	Christina Cleary (as Jenny Alden)

Storyline

Divorce mediators John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey are business partners and lifelong friends who share one truly unique springtime hobby--crashing weddings! Whatever the ethnicity of the wedding party--Jewish, Italian, Irish, Chinese, Hindu--the charismatic and charming duo always have clever back stories for inquisitive guests and inevitably become the hit of every reception, where they strictly adhere to their proven rules of wedding crashing to meet and pick up women aroused by the very thought of marriage. At the tail end of another successful season of toasting brides and grooms, Jeremy learns that the daughter of Treasury Secretary William Cleary and his wife, Kathleen, is getting married in what is sure to be the Washington D.C. social event of the year. After infiltrating the lavish affair, John and Jeremy quickly set their sights on two bridesmaids, Claire and Gloria Cleary. With the lavish reception in full swing, Jeremy works his game plan to perfection in seducing Gloria, ...

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | divorce | love | party | friend | 

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Taglines:

They're just a couple of guys who just wanna have fun.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Filmexport [France] New Line Cinema [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los rompebodas

Filming Locations:

Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$129,281 (Hong Kong) (6 January 2006)

Gross:

$268,156 (Hong Kong) (20 January 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Tapestry Films, Avery Pix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 128 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script was based on The Partygoers, San Francisco's premier party-visiting visionaries. Formed in 1997, the Partygoers are dedicated to spreading goodwill through the spontaneous visitation of social gatherings and celebrations.

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Goofs

When Claire first goes to check on Sack in the bathroom after he gets sick from the eye drops. She opens the door with her left hand and her right arm stays hanging. But when the camera cuts back to Claire her right hand is gripping the door and her left hand is no longer on the door knob but on the door itself. There is no way that her right arm could move that quickly to the door edge.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Kroeger: I don't have custody of the kids.
Mrs. Kroeger: You know what?
Mr. Kroeger: I don't get custody.
Mrs. Kroeger: It is an insane pathetic joke, what I've had to go through.
Mr. Kroeger: Right now, right now, she doesn't know where the kids are, do you?
Mrs. Kroeger: Do not talk about me as a mother.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #25.169 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Amber"
Written by Dan Pinnella, Ric Markmann, and Chris Wagner
Performed by Matter Music

User Reviews

Wilson and Vaughn: The Perfect Couple?

The Frat-Pack, are surely the hardest working collective in Hollywood. Hardly a month goes by without a movie featuring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, or those Wilson boys Luke and Owen being released.

When Starsky and Hutch paired Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller it was good, when Dodgeball put Vince Vaughn with Ben Stiller it was better, but "Wedding Crashers" could well be the finest Frat-Pack pairing to date.

Although Wilson and Vaughn have appeared in four movies together so far, this is the first where they've both taken star billing. In "Wedding Crashers", John Beckwith (Wilson) and Jeremy Klein (Vaughn), are a pair of divorce mediators whose passion in life is sneaking into weddings to take advantage of the free food.. and of course score with girls.

They have a strict 'crashers rulebook', which dictates the etiquette of the pick-up, such as 'never use your real name'. It also suggests, by behaving raucously, loudly and generally being the life-and-soul, people will think you're so obnoxious, you can't not have been invited.

The pair eventually find themselves at odds with each other when John meets and falls for a bridesmaid at the Washington society wedding of the year.

Although "Wedding Crashers" is at times formulaic, the comic performances raise this movie above par and in lesser hands the main characters could have descended into Rom-Com cliché. The fast-talking machine-gun delivery of Vaughn is the perfect accompaniment to Wilson's laconic style. Their single-guy banter's often painfully accurate, as is the acknowledgement they're both a little too old to be acting so carelessly. There are also some great comic set-pieces too, notably the divorce meeting, the weddings montage, the cringe-worthy football game and the hunting trip.

The supporting cast are also an asset, Christopher Walken expertly walks the tightrope of being both broodingly intimidating and likable, while Rachel McAdams' 'Claire' has a charming vulnerability and an easy-to-fall-in love with quality. Former "Home and Away" pin-up Isla Fisher however, is less convincing.

I admit "Wedding Crashers" is far from perfect, at time situations seem too contrived, the nudity is laughably gratuitous, and Claire's evil fiancée Sack (Bradley Cooper) is an almost too heavy-handed device to make Wilson look good.

But if you can look past all that, and simply accept it for what it is, you're left with a very funny film. 8/10