Article: Leadership Ideas from The Movies: You'll Never Guess Which One (Number Eight)

By John E. Carey
November 25, 2006

The 2005 comedy film "Wedding Crashers" features the delightful performances of Owen Wilson as one John Beckwith and Vince Vaughn as Jeremy Grey. The two "divorce arbitrators" arrive as uninvited guests at weddings each and every summer in search of, ahem, "flower." In fact, if a rich east coast family isn't careful these two will "de-flower" the pretty girls in the family.

So this movie is about man's lust filled seeking. And the compliance of the female of the species.

The movie is a romp made purely for fun.

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to ask a man well into his ninth decade, "When does a man stop looking at pretty girls, Grandfather?" His answer stunned me: "I don't know but it must be after the age of 96!"

Wilson and Vaughn work hard to become acceptable wedding guests and sexual partners. They take on a new persona each week but the goal is always the same.

This film speaks to what is acceptable, desirable and "normal" in both young men and young women.

The ultimate wedding features a Kennedy-esque New England family in a sea-side village that may as well be Hyannis Port.

There is some dinner table erotica in this movie that will make your grandmother blush and erupt in laughter-all at the same time.

There is a quail hunt almost as good as the one Dick Cheney participated in.

There is practically no real life lesson or leadership here in "Wedding Crashers." But there is something else that we are always fascinated with: American culture and colloquialisms abound in "Wedding Crashers." It is almost as if the writers tried to dredge up every colloquialism currently in vogue.

And what does "colloquial" mean exactly? According to Webster's Dictionary, colloquial means 1. A characteristic of or appropriate to the spoken language or to writing that seeks the effect of speech; informal. Or, 2. Relating to conversation; conversational.

Colloquialisms are those little gems of speech that confuse the heck out of foreigners. You have to not only speak the English language to understand a colloquialism: you have to be an American. And not just any American either. You might have to be a native born American who suffered through High School right here in the U.S.A. to properly decode a clever colloquialism.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would not understand modern colloquialisms. And those who inhabit these United States two hundred years from now may not understand this movie or its many colloquialisms.

But if you are still breathing you'll "get it" and "laugh out loud."

A few out takes from "Wedding Crashers:"

"Makes you feel dangerous."

"She's got a tattoo on her lower back. May as well be a Bull's Eye."

"I'm going to make all your fantasies come true."

"The greatest crash of all time."

"This is the Kentucky Derby of weddings."

"I'm psyched."

"You leave me in the trenches."

"Something's not right about these guys."

"I'm watching my stories."

"That's my rationalization and I'm sticking to it."

"Win some and lose some."

"Grief is nature's most powerful aphrodisiac."
"I'm going to ice my balls and spit up blood."

"My family is a little strange." Response: No Claire, your family is totally nuts!"

"Why don't you do the math."

"I'm not being adventurous enough for you...."

"We had a moment there, didn't we?"

"You won't make time for me."

"This is a whole new bag of issues."

"Stop being a p*ssy."

"Get focused."

"Keep our eye on the prize."

"O.K. Tonto. Kimo Sabe will do it."

"Did you tap that again?"

"Did she figure out what she's doing in her life?"

"The Big Sleezy."

"Time out."

"She's not another notch on your belt."

"Motor boat" as a way of playing with breasts....

"Don't ever leave me.....Because I'd find you" (as in track you to the ends of the earth and torture you to death).
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There are seven more commentary essays from the movies at:
http://johnib.wordpress.com/