Cupid Biggs it Up
"Wedding Daze" or "The Pleasure of Your Company" as it's also known is a strange little movie, I would even say jumbled, because one minute it is one thing, the next it is something else and basically it doesn't flow. What do I mean well there is a semi tender romantic storyline within the movie but then it is pummelled to death by various comedy elements, some are genuinely funny others are inept and some just border on the crass. The mix of all this doesn't work which means that "Wedding Daze" is not a terrible movie just one which ends up disappointing because it just doesn't grab your attention with either the story or the comedy.
After dressing as Cupid to stage an extravagant proposal to his girlfriend, Anderson's (Jason Biggs - Eight Below) life is shattered when she drops dead. Having gone into a state of depression, his best friend Ted (Michael Weston tries to get him to snap out of it. Except when he does he ends up proposing to the first girl he meets, which happens to be Katie (Isla Fisher - Wedding Crashers) a waitress who is having a few issues with her too perfect boyfriend. Accepting his proposal both Anderson and Katie's lives take a very strange turn.
What is probably most annoying is that "Wedding Daze" starts of brilliantly with Jason Biggs playing another hapless fool who whilst dressed as cupid to stage an extravagant proposal causes his girlfriend to die from a heart attack. Doesn't sound funny but with Biggs yet again happy to be made the fool off, dressing as cupid and being oiled up by his best friend, signals that "Wedding Daze" may be full of these outrageous comedy moments. Except it isn't, it drifts off on a rather peculiar storyline about love which on its way manages to take in sub stories of circus performers, an irate ex boyfriend, a message from beyond and sex mad parents. The mix is as strange as it sounds and ends up feeling just as strange as elements jar with others leaving you with a feeling that this was a series of set pieces mangled into some sort of story.
It doesn't really help that despite being a rom-com it is not really that romantic. The chemistry between Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher is barely there when it comes to the romance side of things. But then it feels like the emphasis was put firmly on the comedy and as such the pairing of Biggs and Fisher are quite good, the comic timing between them doesn't always work but in a strange way the constant mishaps they each suffer is somewhat fun.
Talking of the comedy there are elements to "Wedding Daze" which end up being rather daft if not strange. Katie's friend Matador the circus performer is just plain weird and not always amusing weird. But the weirdness continues with Anderson's parents being sex mad, with a scene that insinuates something with whipped cream being rather cringe worthy as is the mention of a cock ring. If that wasn't bad enough watching Joe Pantoliano in a pair of skin tight denim shorts is just painful.
What is a huge problem though is the casting of Jason Biggs, not because he's terrible because he's not, but because he is now synonymous with playing the hapless fool Jim Levenstein from the "American Pie" movies and here he plays a too similar character. Right from the start "Wedding Daze" revolves around the likable but slightly klutz like Anderson and as such it ended up feeling a bit like a light weight "American Pie". Isla Fisher does a little better and manages to distance herself from previous roles as again the slightly accident prone but also likable Katie. In any other move the pairing would have been perfect but because "Wedding Daze" is all too familiar playing on the haphazard aspect of their sudden relationship it's sadly wrong.
Elsewhere most of the supporting cast do an adequate job although never really used to their full potential. Michael Weston as Anderson's best friend Ted plays to type whilst Heather Goldenhersh is cute as Katie's friend Jane.
What this all boils down to is that "Wedding Daze" is a sadly disappointing movie which is neither terrible nor overly memorable. To be frank it is rather weak and tries to blend various styles of humour but with not a great affect. Probably the casting of Jason Biggs didn't help because it makes it feel too similar to "American Pie" but despite all of this it has its moments which will make you smile, even laugh, just a shame there are not more of them.
