It sounds like a total Hollywood fever dream. Two brothers, known for basically being human wrecking balls at family gatherings, are forced by their parents to find "respectable" dates for their sister's wedding so they don't burn the place down. They post a bizarre ad on Craigslist. It goes viral. They end up in Hawaii with two women who are actually crazier than they are.
Most people watch the 2016 movie starring Zac Efron and Adam DeVine and assume it’s 90% fiction with a "based on a true story" sticker slapped on for marketing.
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Honestly? The real story of why Mike and Dave need wedding dates is somehow both more grounded and more ridiculous than the movie suggests.
The Craigslist Ad That Actually Happened
Back in 2013, Mike and Dave Stangle were just two guys living in New York. They had a reputation. At family weddings, they were the ones getting too drunk, hitting on cousins, and generally making scenes. When their cousin (not their sister, as the movie portrays) announced she was getting married in Saratoga, New York, the family staged an intervention.
The mandate was simple: Bring dates.
The logic was that if they had girls to look after, they wouldn’t spend the night doing shots and hitting on the bride’s friends. Since they were both single and apparently not great at traditional dating, they turned to Craigslist.
They didn't just write a "two guys looking for girls" post. They went full-out. They included a photoshopped picture of themselves as centaurs in front of the Declaration of Independence. The ad was a masterpiece of "bro-humor," promising an open bar, eccentric dancing, and the chance to hang out with two guys who were "at least B+."
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It didn't just get a few replies. It got thousands.
What the Movie Got Wrong (and Right)
Hollywood loves a destination. In the movie, the wedding is a high-stakes Hawaiian getaway at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu. In reality, the Stangle brothers headed to Saratoga, New York.
There were no ATVs crashing into the bride’s face. There were no secret "bad girl" agendas where the dates were actually looking for a free vacation—at least not in the way Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza played it.
The real Mike and Dave did go on a literal "audition" tour, though. They spent weeks meeting up with women who had responded to the ad. Dave Stangle once told People that they eventually stopped looking for "hot chicks" and started looking for the "crazy ones" because it made for better stories.
Key Differences Between Film and Reality
- The Family Connection: In the film, it's their sister Jeanie's wedding. In real life, it was their cousin's wedding.
- The Dates: While the movie characters Tatiana and Alice are calculated scammers, the real-life dates were just regular women who found the ad funny.
- The Chaos: While the real brothers were definitely "party animals," they didn't actually destroy a wedding ceremony. They just wanted to satisfy their family's request for decency.
Why Does It Still Matter?
We’re living in an era where everyone is trying to "hack" dating. You've got apps for everything. But the Stangles were pioneers of the viral dating stunt. Their story became a memoir called Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: and a Thousand Cocktails, which eventually became the Zac Efron flick we know today.
Even though the movie received mixed reviews—some critics found it too raunchy, others loved Aubrey Plaza’s "dazzling chaos"—it remains a cult favorite for people who love that specific mid-2010s R-rated comedy vibe. It’s that brand of exaggerated ridiculousness that gives you permission to be juvenile for 98 minutes.
The real Mike and Dave even have a cameo in the film. You can spot them during the "meet and greet" scene right before the wedding.
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Practical Takeaways from the Stangle Saga
If you’re actually looking for a wedding date—or just trying to navigate a family event without becoming the "problem" relative—there are a few things to learn here.
- Transparency is weirdly effective. The Stangles were honest about being disasters. People liked that.
- Know your audience. If your family tells you to bring a date to keep you in check, maybe don't pick the person who wants to do "vodka pot brownies" in the hotel room.
- Digital footprints last. The original Craigslist ad is still archived in corners of the internet. If you do something weird online, expect it to follow you to a movie deal or a corporate background check.
If you're planning to revisit the movie, it's currently streaming on platforms like Hulu and Max (depending on your region). It’s a solid pick if you want to see Kumail Nanjiani give the most uncomfortable massage in cinematic history or Zac Efron play the "himbo" role he was born for.
Next Steps for the Interested:
- Check out the original archived Craigslist ad text to see the "centaur" pitch for yourself.
- Look up the Stangle brothers' book, And a Thousand Cocktails, for the unpolished, non-Hollywood version of their dating "auditions."
- If you're heading to a wedding soon, maybe just... don't be the guy who needs an intervention.