Luke Wilson, his brother Owen, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, and Jack Black—these guys seem determined to try out every possible combination of their talents.
But, in spite of these combined talents,
Christopher Lyon (Plugged In) says it's "an ugly, soulless, unfunny film about a couple of guys in their mid-30s who only give up mistreating women for sex when they happen to fall for a couple of gals unbalanced or dumb enough to fall for them, too. Good times."
David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) considers the chemistry of Vaughn and Wilson. "Hope and Crosby they're not, but they work well together, injecting a rascally levity into a summer playing field dominated by brooding Batmen and menacing Martians. Unfortunately, director David Dobkin chooses to pander to the lowest common denominator—rather than trusting his leads' considerable comic competence (and chemistry)—mucking up what could have been a smart screwball buddy film with lewd sight gags and foul language."
But Josh Hurst (Reveal) disagrees: "Vaughn and Wilson conjure up charm and charisma like black magic, making uproarious comedy seem as easy as breathing. Their work here tops just about anything done by their peers in recent years—they make Ben Stiller and Jack Black look like a pair of amateur hacks—and their supporting cast is surprisingly strong. … And indeed, an R rating—as opposed to the more commercial PG-13—is what's needed for the subject matter presented here in this randy send-up of sexual irresponsibility, destined to be a classic."
Mainstream critics find the film funny in some places, frustrating and forgettable in others.