Many University of Maryland students had quite the ideal weekend this past Saturday when they got to see Kevin Hart in the flesh. In addition to Hart’s highly anticipated comedy show November 1, students had the opportunity to watch a free screening of the upcoming comedy, “The Wedding Ringer,” starring Kevin Hart and Josh Gad.
Expected to release in January, “The Wedding Ringer” represents the evolution of a bromance between characters Jimmy Callahan and Doug Harris.Kevin Hart plays Jimmy Callahan, who owns a company where friendless grooms hire him to be their best man for their wedding day. Having much success with his business, Jimmy invests himself in his work and lacks personal relationships. Ironically, Jimmy mirrors his lonesome clients. While he constructs these false relationships to embody true friendship, he does not have any special friends to potentially be his best man one day.
Josh Gad stars as Doug Harris, who is engaged to Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting’s character, Gretchen Palmer. Doug is the lucky guy who lands a beautiful woman. However, he’s not a sexually enticing being like Gretchen, nor is he a social butterfly who has a wide circle of friends. His nonexistent friendships lead him to find hope in Jimmy’s business. Doug not only needs a best man for his wedding day, but he needs seven groomsmen to accompany him as well. This big task requires Jimmy to pull off an assignment he calls the “Golden Tux.” But the catch is that he only has less than a week to pull everything off.
After a week of executing the “Golden Tux,” Jimmy and Doug actually become friends. What started off as a business relationship slowly morphs into a genuine bond between two guys who did not expect to develop a fondness for each other. Jimmy and Doug help fill particular burgeoning voids that came along because of minimal companionship with others.
Hart is still portrayed as the funny man that he is in “The Wedding Ringer,” but he noted that the movie broadened his repertoire of characters.
“It was the first time I played a character with emotional growth,” Hart said.
Although the film was filled with emotional moments, it was a true comedy that consisted of endless scenes showcasing reasons why people gravitate towards Hart’s humor. Hart and Gad also had a solid chemistry that strengthened the force behind jokes and hilarious scenes.
This developing bromance between characters Jimmy and Doug encapsulated the silly yet ridiculous antics men will do. Some of the most hysterical moments consisted of back and forth banter that used crude references, which represented the level of comfort and honesty that comes about in friendship.
The unexpected bond that blossomed between Jimmy and Doug is indicative of the value of relationships. These two characters experienced personal growth because of the effects that their relationships had on their own personal lives. This shows that even though friendship may sometimes come about in kooky ways, it can always have a positive impact. When discussing his feelings about the film, Gad felt that “The Wedding Ringer” would enable everyone to draw a personal connection.
“It pulls at the heartstrings.” Gad said. “People can relate to it.”
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*All photos by Jaclyn Turner