By Allie Pino ’15

Weddings can be terrific, fun and slightly dysfunctional events that people feel they have to put all their time and energy into. In the bromantic comedy “The Wedding Ringer,” Kevin Hart and Josh Gad team up to portray a forged friendship that turns real as the “player” discovers his own life may be as pitiable as that of the “losers” he services.

Doug Harris (Gad) is the likeable but awkward groom-to-be, who’s about to marry his dream girl, Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). Trouble is, Doug has no actual male friends, and has been lying about it. On the verge of being exposed, he is directed to the slick Jimmy Callahan (Hart), natural hustler and CEO of Best Man Inc., a company that provides wedding day wingman services for the friendless. Doug hires Jimmy to fill out his side of the wedding party and play “Bic Mitchum,” his imaginary best friend from college, who is a hipster clergyman in camo pants and claims to have done everything from Vatican sightseeing to sky diving with his pal Doug.

Jimmy’s skills at public people polishing are put to the test when Doug not only approaches him with the task of being his best man, but helping him find seven additional groomsman and fabricating an extensive friendship with all of them, a service Jimmy refers to as the “Golden Tux.” Considering that Jimmy is choosing his actors from among the ranks of fellow con artists and convicted criminals, it’s clear the elaborate ruse is shaky at best.

Written by Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender, the film gets some fairly funny moments out of Doug and Jimmy’s interaction with Gretchen’s family and the “Goonie” looking groomsmen-gang. But a couple of extended sequences show the serious moments that emerge as Doug and Jimmy begin to bond and go beyond the levels of a business relationship.

The rest of the comedy rises and falls on Hart and Gad’s comedic and dramatic connection, and I don’t want to oversell it, but they make a very good double act. There’s a great deal of chemistry between the two leads. Hart and Gad really hold together “The Wedding Ringer.” They create an enjoyable comedy—one that includes a number of laugh-out-loud scenes couched in an often clumsy story.

Fans of Hart will be happy to know the comedian brings his trademark energy and gives “The Wedding Ringer” a much-needed shot of humor. Gad is also funny as the socially awkward Doug, and the actor’s musical theater background is put to good use here — especially during a dance number. Together, Hart and Gad make a great pair on-screen.

There’s an entertaining movie in here, one with a smart idea and a lot of twisted characters, and even a couple of catch-your-breath surprises. Granted, the plot is a bit hard to follow, but in terms of lowbrow comedy, the film is actually pretty funny.