A well placed zinger can make any comedy even funnier, especially when the delivery is flawless. Nina Dobrev got one of those sorts of moments in the new Netflix comedy The Out-Laws, as her impending marriage to Adam Devine leads to some pretty wild hijinks. One of these things required her to recite a line so packed, she practiced it religiously before she filmed it on set. Judging by the content of the line, I can definitely see why.
I understand what Ms. Dobrev went through to a certain extent, as during my interview with her and her Out-Laws co-star, I tried my hand at reciting this very piece of dialogue. Without any spoilers, there’s a moment where Nina’s character, Parker, is dressed in a rather gaudy wedding look. However, the dialogue she used to describe this outfit is the following:
I look like a meth head lottery winner marrying Machine Gun Kelly at a cruise boat casino.
Just reading that line brings a smile to my face, as it was one of the strongest laughs I got out of my experience with this picture. It wouldn't have happened without Nina Dobrev delivering that gag with the most deadpan expression, without any stops. It's so subtle, yet so effective, that it's possibly one of the best jokes of the entire movie.
It’s a feat that I appreciated so much as a fan of comedy, and it had me wondering how many takes it took to actually stick the landing. While she was on hand to discuss anything and everything about The Out-Laws, which is part of what’s new on Netflix in July, Dobrev revealed her secret to sticking that landing to CinemaBlend as follows:
It took me so much longer to remember that line … I think it didn’t take that many takes, because by the time I actually got to say it, I was really nervous about it, because I wanted to nail it. So I practiced it a lot.
Practice certainly made perfect in this case, as The Out-Laws cast is full of people like Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin and, of course, Adam Devine, who trades in various flavors of comedy. While most fans may recognize Nina Dobrev for her role on The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, her comedy chops are most certainly honed to a tee. Not to mention, the fact that she’s been friends with co-star Devine for over a decade also helped land the romantic part of this rom-com action romp.
The relationship between Nina’s Parker and Adam’s Owen is believable in all aspects, as it’s not a question of whether or not The Out-Laws’ couple will stick together. If anything, the will they/won’t they aspect falls to the relationship between Owen and Parker’s parents; especially her father Billy.
That part of the equation lead to some interesting preparation by Adam Devine, as he got to share two kissing scenes with Pierce Brosnan as a result. While these two scenarios aren't exactly on the same level, the laughs banked by both are undeniable testaments to the work done by the movie's central couple.
To really appreciate the preparation that Nina Dobrev and her co-stars did for The Out-Laws, you should make some time to take in the madness that is an entry on the 2023 Netflix movie schedule. The film is currently streaming for all who hold a Netflix subscription, so it’s pretty easy to get caught up with this visit from the folks, zingers and all.
