(SPOILER WARNING!!! This article does contain spoilers, if you haven’t seen the movie, just see the first paragraph to be informed without spoilers!!!)

(Critic’s Note- Sorry for this article becoming a little late due to internet problems, and me traveling to Michigan without any computer. However, better late than never.)

The Wedding Ringer may be a little too forced on the comedy and a little too predictable, but Kevin Hart and Josh Gad made it work, with a good story and some hilarious moments. Plus it had a little emotional moments to really enjoy this movie.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Kevin Hart has definitely came to the big stage and wants everyone in the world to know that this little guy is here to stay. It did start off very shaky with horrible movies like Soul Plane and Meet Dave. However what really came to the spotlight was his stand up comedy. As a comedian he is one of the most hilarious people i have laughed and enjoyed. His movie,s on the other hand, haven’t really hit it off yet. In the movies he sounds like an annoying kid trying to be tough, but all you hear is whining. His past movies have been more successful, but hasn’t quite convinced me yet. He has been trying, and I give him credit for that, but I hope he stays in stand up cuz that is where he is the most entertaining. For his next movie, The Wedding Ringer, it might be a sign of good things to come for Kevin Hart.

What I Like: What really intrigued me about this movie was the story. It is a perfect unique story for a comedy about a guy named Jimmy Callahan, played by Kevin Hart, whose business was to become a pretend best man for weddings for grooms that really don’t have much friends. He is in charge to get more groomsmen, and really make the groom more awesome than he really is. However, Jimmy does it for the business, and ignores a true friendship that can form between him and the groom, but he decides to move on. Business as usual. In come Doug Harris, played by Josh Gad, a successful lawyer who is kind of a loner, but is getting married in two weeks to his fiance Gretchen Palmer, played by the beautiful Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, and has no friends to become his groomsmen. So he finds Jimmy for him to pull off the hardest thing ever in Jimmy’s business called The Golden Tux. Jimmy accepts the challenge, and immediately gets to work to find groomsmen, and make it all believable. Kevin Hart and Josh Gad really has some good comedic chemistry with each other. They both use their strongest characteristics, Hart’s talking and sarcasm and Gad’s innocent and nerdiness, and made a great combination like peanut butter and jelly. There were some hilarious moments in this movie. One of my favorite moments had to be the bachelor party scene. They really made it to one crazy adventure, almost to Project X status, and made it funny as well. The dog scene will make you cringe and laugh at the same time. At the ending of the movie when they were all on the airplane going to Tahiti, one of the fake groomsmen, Lurch played by Jorge Garcia, is seen in the airplane saying, “I have a bad feeling about this flight.” I immediately started laughing, because it paid homage to the TV show, Lost, where Garcia played Hurley who was involved in the plane crash on an island. (It is a good show if you haven’t watched it, I’m almost done with Season 5.) What I most like about the movie is that it actually packs an emotional punch. That one scene where Jimmy and Doug become vulnerable in their conversation with one another, you can see that all what they want from each other is true friendship, and Jimmy has forgotten how that feels like, and it was reiterated to him that in his business of creating friends, he doesn’t have true friends either. It’s funny how they really made this to like a romantic movie story line, but dealing with brotherhood. An angle that is not fully explored in movies.

The So So: Some of the comedy may be too slapstick. I don’t have anything against slapstick humor, but it can get old and too much really quick. The movie also involved a lot of humor which I call it, stupid funny. What I mean by that is a joke or a scene can be so stupid, that it makes you laugh out loud. Case in point, the scene where they are singing the Coconut song, Doug all of a sudden sings in a high pitch voice. It’s stupid, but I laughed so hard because of that stupid scene. To make matters worse, they did that same joke again, and I laughed even harder. Why? I really don’t know, but maybe I’m stupid as well. it is what it is. There is this football scene where Doug and his groomsmen played football against his father-in-law, Ed Palmer played by Ken Howard, and his old football team. What I liked is that his football team consists of NFL legends like Joe Namath and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. However the game was just like any random football game in the movie. Cliches like that it was suppose to be touch football, but it is not and people get hurt, there is mud that gets them dirty, and a Rudy moment when Doug catches the game winning touchdown. Those scenes were pretty much copied from Leatherheads, American Pie: The Naked Mile, and an episode of Hey Arnold. They made a cool moment, to a whatever moment.

What I Didn’t Like: This movie was predictable. I mean forget about the fact that Jimmy and Doug become friends. Anybody would’ve guessed that just by watching the trailer. I knew that Doug will not marry Gretchen, and start a fling with the girl he met at the bachelor party. I knew that since Jimmy was playing a priest in his fake life that he will run the wedding. I also knew that Doug will get hurt in the bachelor party. (I just didn’t know it would be his penis that he injures.) I pretty much predicted how the movie will end right in the beginning of the middle of the movie. Predictability is bad, especially when you watch a lot of movies like me.

Overall: Once you pass through the predictability and stupid funniness. It is a somewhat diamond in the rough kind of a movie. It can be a movie that you can watch with your friends and have a good laugh. It is entertaining, and that’s what really counts.

Final Rating: 3.5 Stars

(Sidenote: A Most Violent Year- This movie had some great acting with Oscar Isaac (my fellow Guatemalean) and Jessica Chastain playing a couple who own an up and coming heating oil company, and are looking to expand their business. However, during New York City’s highest year in crime, their business is affected by truck jackers who keep stealing the oil of the trucks and seriously injuring their drivers. Not only that, the company is being tried for business wrong doing which Isaac’s character, Abel Morales, vows he did no wrong doing whatsoever. This movie had it’s moments, but disappointingly, it kind of dragged on. What i most like about this movie is that Morales really tried to be a man of integrity, and stuck to it. No matter what temptation he might had to take down the people who are killing his business, and running a deadline to close on a crucial business deal to expand his business. Interesting nonetheless.
Rating: 3 Stars)

(Sidenote: Inherent Vice- This movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as a private investigator named Doc trying to solve and find out three different cases, and the trouble it puts him through. This movie was definitely confusing. Half the time I didn’t know what the heck was going on, and I almost completely loss interest in what is going on. As a comedy, though it had its few moments, it failed to amuse (mainly cuz i was confused with this whole movie). A movie that confusing really doesn’t deserve that big of praise. Only Pulp Fiction can be confusing and great at the same time.
Rating: 2.5 Stars)

(Sidenote: Annie- I remember I was part of an elementary school choir, and sang many songs from the musical Annie. This movie has brought back memories. I liked the change they did to make this movie more modern, and Quvenzhane Wallis played a good little orphan Annie. The whole movie can seem a little too childish and and corny, however, it is sweet and a feel good movie as well for everybody could enjoy.
Rating: 3 Stars)