John and Jeremy use their secret language and proven “rules of wedding crashing” in order to successfully execute their “blend in by sticking out” mantra. From toasting the bride and groom in their native language, to dancing with the flower girl, performing magic tricks and playing with the kids, John and Jeremy never miss a beat and always get the crowd moving when they lead the room in singing a rousing rendition of “Shout.”
“If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ve probably had to dance to this song,” laughs screenwriter Bob Fisher. “It’s an awful and embarrassing ritual and I, for one, would totally favor legislation outlawing it, but it’s definitely a cross-cultural constant. The fact that it’s so embarrassing is ultimately what’s pretty cool about it. The song also made for a natural, effective transitional device and the thought of what Owen and Vince could bring to it always struck us as extremely funny.”
Vaughn adds, “It’s almost like we do them a favor at each wedding because we get everyone on the dance floor, sing ‘Shout’ and whip everything up into a complete frenzy. There’s nothing casual about it, the champagne is flying and everyone is jumping around screaming and yelling.”
For director David Dobkin, “Shout” was not only fun to shoot, but also served as a barometer of how adept John and Jeremy are at taking over a reception and bringing it to the next level.
“I don't think Owen, Vince or myself liked the song all that much, but I knew watching these two guys perform the song would be hilarious,” says Dobkin. “We also needed something that was high energy and could elevate everything to a raucous crescendo as if these guys had pushed these weddings into a feeding frenzy.”
Producer Andrew Panay suggests that the sequence has the potential to spawn a whole new resurgence for the song and dance.
“The fact that ‘Shout’ is played at every wedding could propel the song back into the pop culture mainstream much in the way that Animal House did in the late 70’s,” says Panay. “No matter how many times Owen and Vince had to dance to it, they performed it like it was their first time and were so committed to it that it made the sequence believable.”
In addition to performing “Shout,” Wilson and Vaughn also had to be light on their feet in performing all the different types of traditional dances their characters use at the weddings to woo their prospective dates for the night.
“I’ve always liked dancing,” says Vaughn. “We started it with Swingers and I think that style of dancing is romantic, very cinematic and there is just something elegant and cool about it. I’ve learned over the years that if you can dance, it’s very helpful in meeting girls, especially in situations where dancing is paramount. In the film we do some swing dancing, a little salsa and the fox trot, but with a little bit of comedic element injected into each of them.”
Choreographer Ina Haybaeck-Rogers helped organize the dance scenes in the film. “When John and Jeremy are at the different weddings, dancing is a big part of how they pick up girls,” she says. “The most important element in dancing is unspoken communication. It doesn't really matter which steps you do, as long as it comes from inside you. So in essence, dancing is a big part of how they communicate with the women they meet.”
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