SOC
29-05-2007, 09:15 AM
Isla Fisher has finally succeeded where other former Aussie soap stars — Kylie Minogue, Melissa George, Kimberley Davies — have failed: she's got herself a name-above-the-title starring role in a genuine Hollywood movie. The question is, though, did she get it on her own merits or becaue she's the future Mrs Borat? To be fair, Fisher does have lovely comic timing, and she did steal her scenes in Wedding Crashers — the film that really brought her to the attention of Hollywood's high flyers (she'd already done Scooby Doo and I ♥ Huckabees). And judging by her performance here, she appears to have a pretty safe career ahead of her.
Wedding Daze (released as The Pleasure of Your Company in the US) is one of those films the Americans do so well — a safe, run-of-the-mill, inconsequential, non-taxing comedy of which we see maybe half a dozen a year. It doesn't have that American Pie or Farrelly Brothers gross-out edge to it, although it does star the "pie guy" and has a few close-to-the-edge gags. I'll have to own up here to having a real soft spot for this style of film — it's the perfect way to relax on a Sunday night, where you can sit back with a DVD, a pizza and a beer and just switch the brain off for an hour and a half and simply be entertained. And on that front, it won't disappoint.
The plot itself is as slim as Paris Hilton, and about as clever. Anderson (Jason Biggs) proposes to his girlfriend (dressed as Cupid, in a red sequined G-string and fairy wings) at a posh restaurant, where she promptly collapses and dies thanks to a weak heart. Cut to a year later, and Anderson is still heartbroken and hasn't moved on with his life. Prompted by his best mate Ted to meet someone new, Anderson goes a little far and proposes to Katie (Fisher), a waitress at the diner they've gone to for lunch. Who he met for the first time when she came over to take their order. To the surprise of everyone present — including herself — Katie says yes. Cue all kinds of getting-to-know-you, meet-the-parents shenanigans and misadventures, which ultimately results in most of the cast behind bars.
OK, I never said it was Shakespeare. It's not a work of genius, but it's good, light fun. Biggs plays a slightly older version of his geeky, insecure Jim from the American Pie films. Fisher scales back her crazy Gloria from Wedding crashers and is a suitably sweet and charming girl-next-door type. The supporting cast are adequate, if unchallenged in their roles (I mean, Anderson's best friend falls for Katie's best friend, for crying out loud). But that's what you expect from this kind of comedy , and they do make up for it with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments — most of them involving Anderson's surprisingly horny and extremely kinky parents. You'll never look at cock rings the same way again.
Wedding Daze (released as The Pleasure of Your Company in the US) is one of those films the Americans do so well — a safe, run-of-the-mill, inconsequential, non-taxing comedy of which we see maybe half a dozen a year. It doesn't have that American Pie or Farrelly Brothers gross-out edge to it, although it does star the "pie guy" and has a few close-to-the-edge gags. I'll have to own up here to having a real soft spot for this style of film — it's the perfect way to relax on a Sunday night, where you can sit back with a DVD, a pizza and a beer and just switch the brain off for an hour and a half and simply be entertained. And on that front, it won't disappoint.
The plot itself is as slim as Paris Hilton, and about as clever. Anderson (Jason Biggs) proposes to his girlfriend (dressed as Cupid, in a red sequined G-string and fairy wings) at a posh restaurant, where she promptly collapses and dies thanks to a weak heart. Cut to a year later, and Anderson is still heartbroken and hasn't moved on with his life. Prompted by his best mate Ted to meet someone new, Anderson goes a little far and proposes to Katie (Fisher), a waitress at the diner they've gone to for lunch. Who he met for the first time when she came over to take their order. To the surprise of everyone present — including herself — Katie says yes. Cue all kinds of getting-to-know-you, meet-the-parents shenanigans and misadventures, which ultimately results in most of the cast behind bars.
OK, I never said it was Shakespeare. It's not a work of genius, but it's good, light fun. Biggs plays a slightly older version of his geeky, insecure Jim from the American Pie films. Fisher scales back her crazy Gloria from Wedding crashers and is a suitably sweet and charming girl-next-door type. The supporting cast are adequate, if unchallenged in their roles (I mean, Anderson's best friend falls for Katie's best friend, for crying out loud). But that's what you expect from this kind of comedy , and they do make up for it with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments — most of them involving Anderson's surprisingly horny and extremely kinky parents. You'll never look at cock rings the same way again.