Photo courtesy of Miramax.On paper, the concept of Josh Gad and Kevin Hart co-starring in a comedy seems like a crazy idea. The former’s relatable, down-to-earth style paired with the high energy of the latter would seemingly be a toxic mix.
In reality, though, the two comics work beautifully together and have a rapport that leaps off the screen in their new comedy “The Wedding Ringer,” opening Jan. 16. The film stars Gad as Doug Harris, a man on the verge of wedding the woman of his dreams (played by "The Big Bang Theory’s" Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting).
There’s only one problem: Doug lacks not just a best man, but an entire party of groomsmen. Enter Hart, who plays Jimmy Callahan, the man people like Doug pay to be his best man.
Over the course of the film, the two men must develop a relationship and work together in order for Doug’s wedding to go off without a hitch.
One of the best parts of the film was that Gad and Hart’s rapport felt incredibly genuine, really getting across that the two were having a good time shooting the film.
“I think our relationship is so great on screen because of how well we get along off screen,” Gad said. “We can be joking around while the cameras are rolling and then when they stop, we’ll still be joking around.”
Hart theorizes that the relationship as comics works so well because of how the two got along as regular people.
“The first time I met Josh, we had dinner, and we talked for hours about just our lives, our families, and it was really great to just get to know this guy I was going to work with,” Hart said. “We didn’t even talk about the movie until maybe an hour or two into the meal.”
The film, which could be described as a mash-up of sorts between “The Hangover” and “Bridesmaids,” features several laugh-out-loud sequences, the highlight of which is where Doug, Jimmy and the rest of the groomsmen are challenged to a game of flag football by Doug’s soon to be father-in-law and his friends. Unbeknownst to Doug’s gang is the fact that his father-in-law’s friends are NFL Hall of Famers, including “Hollywood” Joe Namath. The scene is made funnier by Namath’s lack of filter.
“Having Hollywood Joe on set was absolutely amazing,” Gad said. “I actually had to pinch myself, because here I was, playing in the mud getting paid to listen to Joe Namath curse.”
For Hart, an avid football fan, working with Namath was a dream come true.
“I got to catch a pass from Hollywood Joe.” Hart said. "It was absolutely amazing."
Though the film may feature more than a fair share of bawdy humor, at it’s core there is surprisingly a lot of heart, no pun intended.
“I think when you get down to it, it’s really about the relationship of these two guys and more than that, it’s about just wanting to be accepted and have a tight group of friends," Gad said. "And I really think that’s going to resonate with people.”
Hart agreed.
“What I love about the movie is that it has its laugh out loud moments, but it also has a lot of really touching moment’s that I think balance the movie out really well.”
Reach the reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or follow @S_Weinstein95 on Twitter
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
