‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’: Big laughs from the arm candy

Most of us likely have attended weddings where there are at least one or two wacky individuals — perhaps obnoxious clowns is a better description — who think the festivities just wouldn’t be complete without their hilarious antics. That’s the underlying premise of the surprisingly engaging and very funny “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.”

Based on the true story of Mike and Dave Stangle, the film stars Zac Efron and Adam Devine as the party-loving brothers who actually did advertise on Craigslist in an ill-fated ploy to find dates for their little sister’s wedding. The impetus was Mike and Dave’s well-known reputation for ruining far too many parties and weddings — thanks to their love of crazy stunts.

Of course, instead of snaring a couple of “decent” young ladies to squire to the nuptials, the brothers are conned by a pair of women who love hard partying as much as the liquor salesmen Stangle boys — but who simply want to glom on to a free vacation in Hawaii, where the destination wedding is being held.

It’s the performances by Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick as the two “dates” that truly made this movie work for me. This is not great moviemaking by any stretch of the imagination, but the spot-on comic timing of the principals here — especially former “Parks and Recreation” star Plaza — captured my funny bone and kept it happily working overtime from start to finish.

In a summer that does not have much out there in the way of silly, antic-packed comedies, director Jake Szymanski — best known for his TV work on shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” — has done yeoman work here, delivering a very humorous if predictably paced film. Efron — who, of course, HAS to showcase his killer bod in numerous shirtless scenes — also demonstrates his continuing growth as a skilled comedic performer. I think the secret to his success as a funny guy comes from the intensity he brings to his on-screen persona. He’s so committed to some of the most ridiculous escapades, it makes them seem even funnier than they otherwise would be.

Devine is totally over-the-top, which completely fits the character he’s portraying: the ultimate twentysomething who finds it impossible to leave behind the carefree, often reckless times he spent as a rambunctious teen.

That said, I have to again go back to the strength of Plaza and Kendrick’s performances, which add yet more impact to the realization that some of our best film comics today — think Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig — are actresses who often outdo their male counterparts in delivering really, really funny big-screen moments.

A final side note which I found refreshing at a time when so much emphasis is being placed on the differences in our world — whether it be dividing people by religion, race or nationality. In the movie, Mike and Dave’s sister Jeanie (played by Sugar Lyn Beard) is marrying Eric, portrayed by Second City alum Sam Richardson. The good thing: Not once is any reference made to the fact that Jeanie, who is white, is marrying an African-American. Very nice to see.

★★★

20th Century Fox presents a film directed by Jake Szymanski and written by Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated R (for crude sexual content, language throughout, drug use and some graphic nudity). Opens Friday at local theaters.