Wedding Daze

'Wedding Daze' was released a mere five years ago? Really? Could have fooled me. Hey remember when Jason Biggs was a big deal after 'American Pie?' I bet he enjoyed those times. He became the go-to guy if you wanted a loser protagonist in your R-rated comedy. He seemed "everyday man" enough that guys could relate. It's too bad he's so bland that watching him in anything is a terrible bore.

Now here comes 'Wedding Daze.' A situational comedy about Anderson (Biggs) who marries a complete stranger named Katie (Isla Fisher). The reason why he does this is directly related to the woman of his dreams dropping dead at the very moment he proposed to her. That opening scene, as Anderson awkwardly proposes to his girlfriend Vanessa (Audra Blaser) in a cupid outfit, diaper and all, is the funniest scene in the whole movie. It's all downhill from there. After Vanessa dies right in front of him, Anderson goes into a funk.

Katie is a semi-insane waitress who is being pursued by a complete tool. When Anderson half-jokingly asks her if she'll marry him as she comes by his table in the restaurant she works, she thinks back on her life and says "yes." It's one of those situations that would never happen, but someone said, "You know what would make a funny movie?" and that was it.

What follows is a generic R-rated comedy that has more gross-out moments, than laugh-out-loud ones. The constant sex gags with Anderson's parents are indeed gag-worthy. Wow. Those scenes perfectly encapsulate how hard this movie is trying to be funny. 'Wedding Daze' is directed by Michael Ian Black whose type of comedy I usually enjoy. However, this being his first and only feature-length film as director you can tell he hasn't had much experience behind the camera. The entire movie comes across as one big mess. The characters are half-assed, the story drags on far too long for its own good, and everything culminates into a jumble of ridiculousness.

Don't even get me started on the supporting cast whose only mission is to infuriate with tedious clichéd shenanigans throughout the movie. We already covered the stomach-churning sexcapades of Anderson's parents. Katie's parents aren't that much more refined. Her real father, played by Joe Pantoliano, is in prison. Her mother Lois (Joanna Gleason) has a new husband who is terrified of her ex. Not to be outdone in weirdness, Katie's friends Matador (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Jane (Heather Goldenhersh) are wannabe circus performers who only talk about working in the circus and how amazing it will be. The only grounded person in this whole affair is Anderson's best friend Ted (Michael Weston), who also happens to be the funniest.

As a matter of fact I found myself wishing I were watching a movie about Ted. His understated comedic acting was the high point of this dreary "comedy." I felt bad after having watched it. It started out with promise and then wandered its way into unsalvageable territory. No wonder this movie sat on the shelf of the studio getting its named changed over and over. Even the studio didn't want this monstrosity, and neither do I.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

This is an MGM release that comes in a standard Blu-ray keepcase and is housed on a single-layer 25GB disc. It's noted as being a Region A release.

The MGM presentation is average at best. The 1080p picture hems and haws during its runtime. Sometimes looking clear and brilliantly defined, and other times looking noise and far too soft. Inconsistency is the name of the game here. The picture never stays looking good for a long period of time. Noise constantly crops up. For a film from 2006 I do expect much more in the way of visuals.

Colors are a little bland. They don't pop. Fine detail is hard to come by. Faces have some, but intricate details like freckles, smile lines and pores are lost in the overall softness of the picture. Skin tones do look natural so that's a plus. I noticed one or two instances of film wobble that were a bit annoying. I didn't notice much, if any, edge enhancement or noticeable DNR. There are a few scenes where faces look a bit more waxy than normal though. There are a few instances of shimmering and aliasing on clothing, but nothing major.

This isn't a bad disc per se, but it isn't something that will really impress either.

The DTS-HD Master Audio track fares even worse. This was a 5.1 surround sound track? Could've fooled me. The rear channels are silent for the entire movie. Thinking back on it, I don't recall any time hearing more than a few peeps exiting the rear speakers. Even during the melee commotion towards the end of the movie.

Everything from the score, to the effects, to the voices are centered heavily in the front. Dialogue is clear, except for a few hushed lines of dialogue. LFE is pretty much nowhere to be found, although there's no real need for it here anyway. Even though this is a talkative comedy, there still should be a little oomph here somewhere.

This presentation came across like a simple stereo sounding mix rather than a full-bodied 5.1 mix.

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 3 min.) – A few scenes that should've been deleted. Nothing to really see here.


• Alternate Opening (SD, 2 min.) – An alternate opening to the film that wouldn't have added much to the movie anyway.

'Wedding Daze' was a giant waste of time. I chuckled once or twice, but that was only because Ted was on screen. The rest of the movie's inhabitants are soulless, humorless creatures. This is where I'd usually say that the premise had so much comedic promise, but truthfully it didn't. It's a dumb idea to begin with and gets progressively dumber as the movie goes along. Avoid it.