Video Review: 'Wedding Crashers'

"Wedding Crashers" (R): Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are laugh-out-loud hilarious in the raucous romantic comedy "Wedding Crashers," a refreshing breath of politically-incorrect air in the over-populated era of sanitized PG-13 movies.

Wilson and Vaughn star as John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of seasoned womanizers who long for "Wedding Season," a time where they crash weddings of people they don't know so they can take advantage of the romantic feeling that accompanies the celebrations.

Skillfully adapting to the cultures of the people who are getting married, the duo seamlessly pass themselves off as distant cousins everywhere they go. But John and Jeremy aren't in the game so they can skulk in the corner and snarf down food. In fact, they find themselves as the lives of each party they attend. The big payoff comes at the end of each celebration, though, when the men end up with the women of they've been pursuing.

Despite the amount of fun and frolicking the John and Jeremy have during wedding season, John is starting to feel empty by the experiences. Losing interest fast, John is coaxed into doing one more crash -- this time at the wedding of the daughter of the U.S. Secretary of Treasury William Cleary (Christopher Walken).

It's there that John breaks some of the cardinal rules of wedding crashing as he falls for Cleary's daughter, Claire (Rachel McAdams). The problem is, Claire has an arrogant Ivy League boyfriend, Sack (Bradley Cooper), who needs to be taken out of the picture, so John needs time to find a way to get to her heart.

His answer surfaces with Jeremy, who coupled at the wedding with Claire's unstable sister, Gloria (Isla Fisher). Jeremy wants out because she's psychotic, but vows to remain with her when he and John are invited to a Cleary family weekend-getaway after the wedding.

Wilson and Vaughn's straight-man/funny-man routine is right on target with "Wedding Crashers," and both actors are lovable despite their womanizing ways. But their scenes together boasts only one-half of their greatness in "Wedding Crashers." They both find wonderful chemistry with McAdams and Fisher, as each actor perfectly compliments the other's talents.

Other great performances in the ensemble include the always-brilliant Walken; Keir O'Donnell as his twisted, tortured artist son; and Jane Seymour, in an uncharacteristic turn as Cleary's vivacious wife.

Practically stealing the show, though, is Ellen Albertini Dow (the "Rappin' Granny" from "The Wedding Singer"), who chimes in with some gut-busting dialogue during the Cleary's family meals. Another hiliarious performer turns up in a surprise cameo near the end of the film, but I'll keep a cork on who it is.

While the initial premise of "Wedding Crashers" is original, the film suffers becomes more and more predictable as the plot develops. Not typical, though, is its saucy dialogue (there are a lot of F-bombs and sex talk) -- the kind of jaw-dropping stuff that's fallen by the wayside since filmmakers started compromising R-movie content for PG-13 ratings to reign in bigger audiences.

There's nudity involved, too, of course, but surprisingly, it's hardly gratuitous. In fact, there's much less than expected, and it only comes at times when the script calls for it.

DVD Features: The film is available in both R-rated and unrated "Uncorked" versions, which both on the same disc. The "Uncorked" version, which is over eight minutes longer, includes scenes dialogue director David Dobkin and company deemed to cross-the-line with some viewers.

One example is the film's hilarious "Confession" scene with Jeremy and the Cleary family priest (Henry Gibson). While the R-rated version is funny enough on its own, some "personal" questions Jeremy asks the priest in the "Uncorked" version drives it over the top.

Other features include commentary by Dobkin and a separate commentary track by Wilson and Vaughn; four deleted scenes; a music video; production featurettes and "The Rules of Wedding Crashing" for wedding crasher wannabes. (New Line Home Entertainment)

Also New This Week:

"Broken Flowers" (R): Bill Murray goes on a soul-searching cross-country trip to visit old girlfriends in hopes that it will lead him to a son he didn't know existed. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

"The Cave" (PG-13): "Lost" star Daniel Dae-Kim, Cole Hauser and Morris Chesnut star as part of a group of underwater scuba divers who fall prey to bloodthirsty creatures in an underwater cave network. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)