The Wedding Ringer

Weddings bring out the best and worst in people. Shows have been created about how women turn into Bridezillas while creating their perfect dream day, while guys usually get the short end of the stick. Is there even a name for a male Bridezilla?

Now comes a movie that shows the wedding day blues from a male perspective, showing the anxiety that comes from assembling the perfect roster of groomsmen, throwing a proper bachelor party, and successfully making it to the altar. Much like the rag tag bridal party they portray, Kevin Hart and his crew come together to make "The Wedding Ringer" better than its problem filled scripted would lead you to believe is possible.

One of the scariest parts of getting married is assembling the perfect bridal party -- making sure the bridesmaids and groomsmen all match and even worse making sure there are enough people to fill out the bridal party evenly. Thankfully for the friendless Doug (Gad, "Frozen" and Broadway's "Book of Mormon"), there is a solution for the latte r. Jimmy Callahan (Hart) is a best man for hire. For the right price, he is willing to provide whatever services you may need to make sure your special day is perfect. In Doug's case, that entails having to accomplish the previously unthinkable "a golden tux," which includes Jimmy attending all of the pre-wedding festivities and finding an additional six guys to act as groomsmen and adopt preconceived personas in just over a week's time.

Kevin Hart might seem like an unlikely choice to be carrying the romantic comedy genre as of late, but he has been quietly using these films to build out his resume. While not always playing the romantic lead character, Hart has found a niche that's working and is helping to diversify his audience between these films with his broader comedies and stand-up routines. He appeals to young men in films like "Ride Along" while also courting their girlfriends in the "Think Like A Man" series and remake of "About Last Night."

Co-written by director Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender, the script for "The Wedding Ringer" is a minefield of problems. The two men have trouble writing for female characters and allowing the comedy to come from the characters, rather than having their actions determined by moving the plot forward. For the first time feature director, Garelick hits many of the right beats to land a punchline. However, he rushes through some bits that could potentially have been the funniest parts of the film, while dwelling and slowing down on some of the film's repetitive beats. Cutting the number of references to Jimmy's rule of never being friends with the groom afterwards wouldn't have hurt the film or made the ending have any less meaning. No need for a spoiler alert there, because if you don't see how the film ends within the first half hour, you may need to have your prescription checked.

Most troubling of the issues within the script is one that is a continued problem in male-centric comedies. More focused on landing jokes and developing the central relationship, little attention is paid to the female characters. "The Wedding Ringer" has a trio of underserved supporting females, including the sister-in-law who is quickly catching onto their scheme and Jenifer Lewis' assistant, who might also be Jimmy's mother. However, the biggest offense comes with bride-to-be Gretchen. At first glance she is a loving girlfriend, trying to plan the perfect wedding. Yet her motives shift throughout the film depending on the plot, leading to a character that seems to have two different personalities from beginning to end.

Garelick and Lavender don't have characters in their script as much as they have plot devices. The characters development through the entire film becomes inconsistent, depending on what will propel the plot along the furthest, which is ironic considering how much everyone comments that Doug has changed from his buttoned up persona at the beginning. But many times throughout the film, characters act out of moving the plot along rather than how they might normally act.

Providing more laughs than it probably should, "The Wedding Ringer" makes a point to emphasize the laughs at the expense of character development. Much of the credit should be given to Hart and Gad, who have an easy chemistry that makes the film sail along smoothly. While it may not be a ringer for Best Picture, you're more than getting your money's worth when you R.S.V.P. to "The Wedding Ringer."