John and his buddy Jeremy are emotional criminals who know how to use a woman's hopes and dreams for their own carnal gain. Their modus operandi: crashing weddings. Normally, they meet guests who want to toast the romantic day with a random hook-up. But when John meets Claire, he discovers what true love – and heartache – feels like.
Acting
Vaughn and Wilson's improvised chemistry — they never stop talking.
Writing
The rules montage and funeral crash setup — comedy structure perfection.
Direction
Dobkin lets scenes breathe for maximum awkward hilarity.
Director
David Dobkin
Owen Wilson
John Beckwith
Vince Vaughn
Jeremy Grey
Christopher Walken
Secretary Cleary
Rachel McAdams
Claire Cleary
Isla Fisher
Gloria Cleary
Jane Seymour
Kathleen Cleary
Ellen Albertini Dow
Grandma Mary Cleary
Keir O'Donnell
Todd Cleary
Bradley Cooper
Sack Lodge
Ron Canada
Randolph
Henry Gibson
Father O'Neil
Dwight Yoakam
Mr. Kroeger
Rebecca De Mornay
Mrs. Kroeger
David Conrad
Trap
Jennifer Alden
Christina Cleary
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Vaughn and Wilson rewrote massive chunks of dialogue; the 'wedding crashers' rules' were almost entirely improvised. Christopher Walken reportedly never broke character even between takes.
This film basically invented the 'bro comedy with heart' template that dominated 2005-2012, for better and worse. The term 'Stage 5 Clinger' entered the lexicon entirely because of this movie.
US
