Guest: David Feinberg, Improv and Stand-Up Comedian (Instagram @davidfeinbergonline)
Plot Summary: John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Gray (Vince Vaughn) are Washington, D.C., are divorce mediators who crash weddings to meet and seduce women. At the end of the wedding season, the pair attempt to grab the "white whale": the wedding of the daughter of the Secretary of the Treasury, William Cleary (Christopher Walken). The pair soon crash the wedding, and get much more than they bargained for in the Secretary's two daughters: Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla Fisher). Will the two continue their crashing ways or learn that there is more to love, relationships, and life?
Cast:
Owen Wilson as John Beckwith
Vince Vaughn as Jeremy Grey
Christopher Walken as U.S. Secretary William Cleary
Rachel McAdams as Claire Cleary
Isla Fisher as Gloria Cleary
Jane Seymour as Mrs. Cleary
Ellen Albertini Dow as "Grandma" Mary Cleary
Keir O'Donnell as Todd Cleary
Bradley Cooper as Sack Lodge
Henry Gibson as Father O'Neil
Ron Canada as Randolph
Will Ferrell as Chazz Reinhold (uncredited)
*Recognition:
In 2006, Wedding Crashers topped the nominations for the year's MTV Movie Awards with five including Best Movie. It won Best Movie, On-Screen Team (Vaughn and Wilson), and Breakthrough Performance (Isla Fisher). The financial success of the film has been credited along with The 40-Year-Old Virgin for reviving the popularity of adult-aimed R-rated comedies.
Bradley Cooper was mentioned in the August 2006 issue of GQ as one of "The Top Twelve Movie Dicks".
People's Choice Award Winner for Favorite On-Screen Match-Up (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson) and Favorite Movie Comedy
2005: Nominated for Critics' Choice Awards: Best Comedy Movie
Did You Know:
The scene where the wedding crashers don Purple Heart medals, which is an award presented to military members who have been wounded or killed in armed combat, caused the movie to be criticized heavily by several outraged veteran groups who felt the scene was enormously disrespectful. The film was also released at the same time that the Stolen Valor Act became federal law, making the false display of military awards a federal crime.
Following complaints from the United States Congress, the producers of the film yanked from the movie's official web site a printable Purple Heart advertised as a gimmick to pick up women and get free drinks.
Rachel McAdams got her certification in sailing to prepare for her role. She says she can now handle a 26--foot boat.
Bradley Cooper was hired at his audition. As director David Dobkin recalls, "My saying is that you never, ever hire someone in the room; you always have to go back and watch the tape. Bradley Cooper is the only person who was an exception. I couldn't find anyone [for that role], and then he came in the room and he was amazing. He was like a thoroughbred. I remember going up to him and saying, 'Dude, you're awesome! You got the part!'"
Isla Fisher used a body double for her nude scene. She told Entertainment Weekly that the film's producers wanted her to be naked for five scenes, but she managed to talk them down to just one. Fisher clarified that she thought that it was difficult for women to be funny once the audience had seen their breasts and thought that her appearing nude would compromise the comedic quality of her performance. The producers disagreed and deemed nudity essential for the plot.
If Will Ferrell hadn't been available for the short role of Chazz, director David Dobkin had actor Nicolas Cage in mind for a backup, as revealed in the Spitballing Podcast.
Will Ferrell was offered the role of John Beckwith, but turned it down for a smaller role.
Jane Seymour was called in three times to audition for the role of Kathleen Cleary. Reportedly she beat out many, many actresses in their fifties and early sixties, also auditioning for the role of Mrs. Cleary.
Vince Vaughn recommended Justin Long for the Todd Cleary role. When Long auditioned, he played the role with influence from Buffalo Bill from "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991). Long initially thought he was cast, before Keir O'Donnell was hired. Long and O'Donnell became subsequent friends afterward.
According to boxofficemojo.com, this movie is the sixth highest grossing film for New Line Cinema. The films above it being The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Rush Hour 2 (2001), and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
In relationship to the Visine Prank from the movie, an urban legend suggests that tetrahydrozoline causes violent diarrhea if taken orally, popularized in the 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers, where one of the main characters puts eye drops in a rival's drink. "There's unfortunately been some high-profile examples of people using eye drops orally to get back at people they don't like," David Edwards said. "To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever died from this type of poisoning, but there are very serious side-effects." Those side-effects can include abnormal drowsiness, sedation, low or high blood pressure, difficulty breathing, decreased heart rates and even a coma. The film scene is alleged to have inspired a number of copycat crimes. Five high school students in Milwaukee nearly killed a classmate by imitating the prank in June 2006. A Wisconsin woman was jailed for 90 days for repeatedly poisoning her roommate's water with Visine in 2011, confessing that she got the idea from the movie. In March 2013, a California man was charged with domestic violence and poisoning after he spiked his girlfriend's drink as a prank following an argument between the couple. A Google search for "Visine prank" yields over 19,500 results, including several more cases of poison pranks, most occurring from 2005 onwards. Although it's commonly believed that ingesting tetrahydrozoline will cause diarrhea, that's not actually the case, said Edwards. "It's much more dangerous than people think," Edwards said. "These deliberate poisonings might not be designed to do dramatic damage, just to make someone feel terrible, but eye drops are obviously designed for topical use and I think any time you're taking something in a different way than it's intended, you've got potential problems." - therecord.com
What is this movie is about?/Elevator Pitch: Two overgrown men-children are forced to grapple with their narcissistic and juvenile behavior when falling in love for the first time.
Best Performance: Bradley Cooper (Sack)/Keir O'Donnell (Todd)/Owen Wilson (John)
Best Secondary Performance: Will Ferrell (Chazz)/Vince Vaughn's Mouth (Jeremy)
Most Charismatic Award: Rachel McAdams (Claire) or Isla Fisher (Gloria)/Christopher Walken (Sec. Cleary)/John McCain (John McCain)
Best Scene:
Divorce Negotiations
Weekend House
"Share that with the Dalai Lama..."
Touch Football
Wedding Toast
Wedding Crashing Montage
Meeting Chazz
Family Dinner
Midnight Visit
Jeremy's Wedding
Favorite Scene: Divorce Negotiations/Chazz Reinhold
Most Indelible Moment: Chazz Reinhold/"Death you are my bitch lover!"
In Memorium:
N/A
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Jeremy: Tattoo on the lower back...might as well be a bullseye.
Chazz: Hey, Ma! The meatloaf! We want it now! The meatloaf! What is she doing? I never know what she is doing back there.
Todd: Death, you are my bitch lover!
Sec. Cleary: Yeah, Todd...you tell that mean ocean!
Chazz: Death is nature's most powerful afrodisiac.
Wife: You shut your mouth when you're talking to me!
John: You know how they say we only use 10% of our brains; well, I think we only use 10% of our hearts.
Grandma: ...President Franklin Roosevelt. He was a doll! The wife, though, Eleanor, big dyke. Huge dyke. A real rug muncher. Looked like a big lesbian mule.
Jeremy: A friend in need is a pest.
Jeremy: I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, John, I'm fried.
John: Soft mattress?
Jeremy: Yeah, that could've been it. Could've been the soft mattress, or it could've been the midnight rape. Or the nude gay art show that took place in my room. One of those probably added to the lack of sleep.
John: Try one of these scones, you're gonna love them.
Jeremy: I'm a little too traumatized to have a scone. Let's move.
Jeremy:(confesses to a priest) She's good. I mean, I believed that she was a virgin and it hurts to be lied to like that. It's a horrible feeling to feel that way. But I, you know, was looking to take advantage of something, too, so could I really feel that bad? It's not like I was who I was. You know what I'm saying? So fair play. And let's be honest with each other here, okay? Let's put all the cards on the table. She's fit for a straight-jacket, this broad is fucked three ways towards the weekend, and you want to know what? I dig it! It turns me on! Yeah, it turns me on! Because you want to know what the kicker is, Father? Maybe I'm a little fucking crazy! That's right, maybe Jeremy is a little nuts! And there's something about me that I'm a little cuckoo. I know it's a surprise. I know it's not on the surface. Man, I had a little imaginary friend when I was a kid. His name was Shiloh. We used to play checkers with each other everyday and bless his heart, Shiloh would always let me win.
Priest: Ha-ha-ha-ha.
Jeremy: And that ain't normal! There's something odd in that, but maybe that's what it takes to make you feel connected to somebody. I don't know! But I know when that red-head starts getting kooky, there's something about me that feels alive inside. Diggin' talking with ya. You're a really enlightened cat and I like that about you. Think you're a special special man. Come in for the real thing. Get in here for the real thing. (kisses the priest) I love you, you're a sweet man.
Sack's Friend: Crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does!
Jeremy: Who else wants something?
Boy: I want a bicycle.
Jeremy: A bicycle? Well, a bicycle, that would take a lot of balloons and honestly Uncle Jeremy's a little tired right now so why don't we do something like, uh, let's say a giraffe?Boy: I just want a bicycle!
Jeremy: Wh-why are you yelling at me?
Boy: Whatever, make me a bicycle, clown!
Jeremy: I'm gonna make you a bicycle. But I don't want to make you a bicycle.
Boy: Shut your mouth, funny guy, and make it!
Todd: Mom make you feel her tits?
John: Did you say something Todd?
Todd: Mom make you feel her tits?
John: Todd, where are you going with this?
Todd: Just don't, don't say anything to my dad though. Some friend of my sisters. She said something to my dad a couple of years ago. He now lives in a shack in Guam. Not by choice.
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 4.83
Impact/Significance: 7
Novelty: 3.17
Classic-ness: 3.17
Rewatchability: 6.5
Audience Score: 7.95 (89% Google, 70% RT)
Total: 32.62
Remaining Questions:
Will John McCain's death be noted in Wedding Crashers 2?
Who is the Detective that can figure these guys out in a few hours when they're using fake names?
Wouldn't Sec. Cleary have second thoughts about letting Gloria marry Jeremy if he's planning on running for President?
Why do John and Jeremy need so many law books in their office when they aren't lawyers?
How did Chazz convince the women from the funeral to crash a wedding?