Wedding Daze DVD: Review By Dodd

Some actors and actresses are forever typecast or preserved in the mind of audiences as that "one guy or girl who did this or that". One of those actors has to be Jason Biggs, who will forever be known as the "guy who f*cked the pie". Instead of launching into super stardom as an untapped resource of drama and comedy, the sheepish, grinning actor has been forever typecast as the nervous ninny whose approach to attracting women is his "aw shucks" sensibility just begging to be the target of female dominance. His latest effort, Wedding Daze, makes Biggs a repeat offender of stupid, stupid comedy, but also goes straight to video where it belongs. It is just unfortunate that he dragged the adorable Isla Fisher with him.

Biggs plays a sweet shyster named Anderson who has a girlfriend (Audra Blaser) that miraculously stays with him despite the fact that he hatches lame romance schemes, like showing up at a fancy restaurant dressed as a cupid to propose to his lover. In fact, she is so shocked by his act that she keels over in reaction to his proposal. Anderson then spends some time moping around about the woman he once had, and ponders if he will ever find such love again. In the middle of his existential wanderings on the meaning of love and life, he randomly asks waitress Katie (Isla Fischer) if she will marry him. To both their surprises, she says yes.

So what does the rest of the film work with? These two dummy characters who decide, for God knows what reason, to continue on with their engagement. They decide to move in together and plan their wedding. Because if he was desperately looking for something while she was coincidentally looking for an out from her grating fiancee, then this must be fate, right? This seems to be what the film implies in rooting for these two lovebirds as they stupidly proceed with wedding plans and manage to find that there may actually exist a bond between the two of them.

It appears that Wedding Daze is aiming for feel-good status as it focuses on two free-spirited characters that say "what the heck" and decide that marrying strangers is the way to go. Of course they do find love, and I can only hope that no sequel will ever be released to reveal the divorce of these imbeciles. The premise of two characters forming a connection through a random proposal is not a bad idea. Edward Burns pulled it off charmingly well in his 1990s film She's the One. Unfortunately, I only wanted nothing more than doom for these two characters simply so they would learn the error of their ways and find a cure for their mild retardation that they contracted from their "boo hoo" love lives.

What is even worse is the talent involved here, and the fools they make of themselves. I expect such shamefulness from Biggs, but it kills me to see Isla Fisher cast in this dud. Not only his she one of my biggest crushes right now, but she does have comic talent that she has proven in prior efforts. There are also screen veteran character actors such as Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano, Joanna Gleason, and Edward Herman who are showing desperation for a paycheck. Herman is especially cringe-worthy in a scene in which he explains the benefits of a c*ck ring to his son. Last, but not least, there is Michael Ian Black who wrote and directed this travesty. I know he is not a renowned comic genius, but his track record in bizarrely hilarious projects such as Stella and The State does not nearly parallel the shameful humor being demonstrated here.

The special features are very dry with a selection of deleted scenes and an alternate beginning that does not automatically make the movie funny if it were the beginning in the final cut.

Widescreen and full screen. The film contains both formats of the film. Because when I think Wedding Daze, I ponder for hours whether or not I should enjoy it in wide or full screen.

Dolby 5.1. What is there to say about the sound in a crappy comedy that is released straight-to-DVD? There is no complimenting a great soundtrack or a score by Danny Elfman. My job to fill this gap is done.

The film comes on a double-sided disc in a standard case. Biggs and Fisher are pictured on the front cover in comedic-looking mugshots.

Wedding Daze is yet another comedy that the studios obviously shot down and condemned to straight-to-video hell. Pulling this flick from the theaters was obviously a good choice, because it is terrible to imagine the money that would have been lost in theatrical marketing tactics. However, I can't even recommend renting this painfully unfunny movie. I say rent American Pie instead and remember Jason Biggs for his true talent: making nervous love to warm pastries.