One of the first movies released this year was “The Wedding Ringer.” Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a socially awkward groom with a problem: He has no groomsmen and no best man. With two weeks until he marries his dream girl (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), he hires the CEO of Best Man Inc, Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart) to pull off what is referred to as a “Golden Tux,” providing a full set of groomsmen and a best man in under two weeks.

Jimmy accepts the challenge after hearing Doug’s plea and receiving a payment of $50,000. He then recruits some old friends, including an ex-convict, an airline security agent and a plumber to play Harris’ groomsman. As Jimmy, Doug and the rest of the gang struggle to learn their backstories, rehearse their lines and come up with distracting party tricks, they hit a few bumps in the road.

This comedy promises a predictable story-line with a few not so predictable twists thrown in. While it might be a run of the mill, cheesy buddy comedy, it is entertaining. The plot, however is not always believable. Doug somehow convinces the stunning Gretchen (Guoco-Sweeting) to marry him despite having nothing in common, no chemistry and never meeting his friends.

Despite being a likeable guy who is well off to boot, Doug seems to have never made an adult friend, which seems a bit odd. However, if you can get past all that, which is easier said than done, the rest of the film seems a bit more believable.

Over the course of the film, Jimmy repeatedly reminds Doug that their relationship is purely business. After the third time you hear him tell Doug that they will not become friends, you know that by the end of the movie they’ll bond.

As usual, Kevin Hart spits out his jokes so fast, there’s no time to laugh lest you miss the next one. Jokes come quickly and often crudely (including one scene that involves a dog, some peanut butter and… well, nevermind. See the movie). Even a few of the seemingly minor characters get a funny twist here and there, including setting the bride’s grandmother (Cloris Leachman) on fire.

The movies finally comes to an end with Jimmy realizing that he truly cares for his new friend, Doug despite his constant stance that their relationship is purely business. Together, Jimmy and Doug run off into the sunset together. The Wedding Ringer is currently playing in theaters.

For this, I give the movie a 4 out of 5 stars.

Katie Haines is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].