This is How Movies Should Be Made

Excellent but underrated film

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Paulie (Ed Burns) has been living with his girlfriend, Sue (Brittany Murphy) for three years. Now the lady is pregnant and they are about to walk down the aisle. For the ceremony, Paulie has asked his brother Jimbo (Donal Logue) to be best man. Jimbo, however, seems to be going through a personal crisis. His wife (Heather Burns) has reported a loss of communication, several job switches, and weight gain to her brother, TC (John Leguizamo) who has come to Long Island for the wedding. Also invited are local "best buds" cousin Mike (Jay Mohr) and Dez (Matthew Lillard), the only one of the group who has kids already. There are a number of problems for each man, not just Jimbo, although he argues with Paulie so much that his best man status is in jeopardy. TC has a big revelation while Mike can't seem to get over a broken relationship. Even Sue creates doubt as to the timing of the marriage, for she is a bit mad that the nursery isn't finished and, yes, that Paulie doesn't bring her flowers anymore. Will the wedding take place and the men stay friends? First, this will not be my favorite Ed Burns film but its head and shoulders above most of Hollywood fare. Its polished, complicated script has much to say about everyday life and how we endure. Then, too, what a dream cast, all doing fabulous work! As for the Long Island scenery, it is so beautiful the viewer is enchanted. Some parts are funny, as when Dez tries to get his sons to help carry the groceries by pretending to throw away their favorite cereal. Other parts are touching as most of these men have strong bonds with their aging fathers and their longtime friends. So, while I prefer Looking for Kitty and Sidewalks of New York, The Groomsmen is a fine choice for those who love quality cinema.

So before I saw this movie I thought it was impossible for anything to be girlier than a chick flick. Boy was I wrong. This movie is basically a man's equivalent to Sex and the city. It talks about marriage issues and love issues, but with men dealing with them. It's strange and becomes irritatingly annoying because unlike girls guys keep all of their issues bottled up until the end. This makes you scream "OUT WITH IT ALREADY IT'S NOT DRAMA IT'S ANNOYING!"If you like that sort of thing than this movie is for you, if not avoid it at all costs. On the other hand the actors do a good job and everything is well shot. Brittany Murphy (Who is the main reason I watched this film for, I'm currently watching every Movie the late actress has ever been in, when I'm done I shall be moving on to Christopher Walken.) did a great job releasing her jersey accent for the piece even though she isn't there all of the time.

I believe this is Edward Burns' best movie to date. While the plot line is a little trite, the movie pulls it off with one of Burns' strength as a film maker: his characters. The characters in this film are are very complete and well-rounded. As a guy passing through his twenties...I was able to relate to this film a lot. I have a similar group of guy friends that have been by my side for many years. Anyone that is getting older and still keeps in touch with old friends will find this movie to their liking.I also must comment on the superb acting by everyone in the cast. I was particularly impressed with Donal Logue. His character came across some striking inadequacies and he nailed it down.Overall, I thought the Groomsmen was a very enjoyable film.

Was the movie good? Not bad. It was good for what it was, a coming of age kind of film for thirty somethings.What it was not, was the advertised content on the DVD sleeve. Quotes from the box: "..a week-long raucous bachelor party filled with laughs at every turn." --- This it was not."Join in the revelry at this wild bunch relives their glory days with hilarious antics that you'll never forget." --- A complete, out and out lie.The DVD sleeve touts this as a laugh filled film full of fun. Its anything but. I chuckled 4 times...maybe 5. It was not hilarious to say the least. It was simply a flick about a guy second guessing his upcoming marriage and his whiner brother and loser friends.Sorry. If you wanna laugh, get a different film.