the Mind’s Chew Toy

The “surprising smash comedy of 2005″ has hit DVD. Heather and I had heard a lot of critics’ raves about Wedding Crashers, but not much word-of-mouth buzz.

Still, the previews made it look comical, so we decided we’d give it a shot - Heather more willing than I. Still, Owen Wilson is always fun to watch, and Vince Vaughn shouldn’t be able to drag him down too much, right? That was my thinking going in. Thankfully, it turned out I didn’t have much to fear.

Owen Wilson always seems to do well on-screen, whether it’s in a more serious role similar to Behind Enemy Lines (2001) or a more comical one like Zoolander or the Shanghai Noon / Knights films. He has an easy, goofy charm about him that makes him a likeable guy, no matter what kind of dimwitted buffoon he may be playing.

In Wedding Crashers, his charm is accentuated more than usual by the brash counterpoint of Vince Vaughn. While Owen easily seems to be able to woo the girls with his fake charms in the film, Vince usually comes out looking like the over-horny nerd in comparison.

Christopher Walken is remarkably understated in his role in Wedding Crashers, providing more of a familiar face than much of anything else. Jane “Dr. Quinn” Seymour also is on hand, and turns in a surprisingly fresh and funny performance that most viewers never would have expected from her. Even the little old lady from The Wedding Singer is back, in a small performance as an irritable grandma.

With the great cast all performing up to par, Wedding Crashers is looking to be one of the better comedies of recent years. Unfortunately, while the plot starts out refreshingly original, it gradually winds down to more of the same schlock as most romantic comedies. Luckily, the acting is able to lift the film above the norm, breathing a little more life into some of the more cliched parts of the film. Director David Dobkin does a good job of keeping the pace moving, and the blossoming romance between Wilson and Rachel McAdams does play out well.

The Wedding Crashers DVD offers up two versions of the film: the theatrical version and the “uncorked” version. The “uncorked” version shifts the rating from R to Unrated, and tosses in an extra 9 minutes of footage. Unfortunately, while normal comedies usually tap out at about an hour and a half, even the theatrical version almost hits the 2 hour mark, making for a rather long time to keep a joke going.

If the director had managed to shorten it up a little bit, Wedding Crashers would have benefitted. Although the actors are surprisingly refreshing (and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wilson and Vaughn team up again in the near future), the plot falls a little too much into the cliches, and the movie does drag a little bit at times.

Still, it’s got plenty of hilarity, so most will enjoy the ride with these Wedding Crashers.