6 amigos y una boda

"Grown-Ups 2" premiered in theaters yesterday, but rather than encounter the usual adolescent and perhaps redundant slapstick in a movie about a reunion with old friends, I watched "The Wedding Weekend" last night, which was originally titled "Shut Up and Sing", but was changed because that names was the name of a documentary by the Dixie Chicks or something.

Anyway, for those who watch the Law & Order franchise, the guys should be immediately recognizable to viewers. Mark Feuerstein of USA's "Royal Pains", should catch the viewers' eyes immediate despite the fact though his screen time is less present than the movie who's on USA's "Royal Pains". Molly Shannon is absolute funny as one of the guy's wives, uncensored, unapologetic and frustrated about her life with her husband.

I also have to admit that I like the guys' a Capella singing in the movie. It was very cool and crisp. They must have had a lot of practice when they were rehearsing for this film and also the guys must have had a great deal of background in theater because they all have great singing voices.

At the same level, the acting performances were really great. It is very rare that an independent film can achieve this level of quality. I would take this movie over "Grown-Ups 2" any day of the week.

Watchable, but OK to watch once and forget about. While the acting was decent, the premise was just not believable or worth caring about. Would you really fly across the country to attend/perform at the wedding of a man you loathe? The stock 'jerky right wing guy' character's "life-changing event" was so out of left field and then seemingly an afterthought :10 later. I can't figure out to whom this story was supposed to appeal. Too man-centric to appeal to women, too touchy-feeley whiny to appeal to most men. My only guess is "married closeted gay men," a very small demographic, which could go towards explaining the lack of commercial success. Molly Shannon was fun, the cast were decent eye candy, and the singing, though presumably overdubbed, was excellent. Fellas, watch it w/ your female significant-other to appease her after 3 or 4 nights of heavy doses of sports on the tube.

Quasi-musical that will largely appeal to white, affluent, male New Yorkers. Several old college buddies who used to sing a capella reunite for a pal's wedding in the Hamptons (which right there tells you something about the target audience). Some time has passed since they last saw each other. Some have matured and changed, some have not. The cast is mostly appealing, if way too thin and good-looking (so much so that you might think you're watching a reunion of a group of gay friends). The musical interludes are the best parts of the film, by far. Some of the dialog (including a "seize-the-moment" speech by one of the way-too-thin and good-looking wives) and situations (finding a hooker for a divorced buddy) are cringe-inducing. Hey, but this is a low-budget indie, after all. The biggest name in the cast is ex-SNL member Molly Shannon, who plays a boisterous, occasionally crude wife whose schlemiel of a husband couldn't be any more different. Some of you may recognize Mark Feuerstein, who starred in a TV show called ROYAL PAINS and is presently appearing in a theatrical release, KNUCKLHEAD. Except for Shannon, the cast looks like it was put together from Broadway plays and TV soap operas. No fatties or uglies allowed, thank you very much. Oh, for the hetero guys who catch this, keep an eye out for Elsa the 23-year-old Swedish nanny. Also way too thin, but she does love sex.

Bruce Leddy tried his best giving the budget to make 'Shut Up And Sing' aka 'The Wedding Weekend'.

The problem lies in the plot, Some moments are interesting, but usually bland.

A group of guys who sang together in a college a Capella group reunite 15 years later to perform at a friend's wedding and discover how their lives have progressed -- and in some cases regressed -- since their college heyday, an idea that seems dated and the lack of face-value, disappoints all the way.

Acting wise: Molly Shannon is the only actor who does her part well, while all the others try hard, though some manage.

on the whole 'Shut Up And Sing' isn't what you expect.

I had the opportunity to see this film at the 2006 HBO Comedy Film Festival in Aspen, and went into the screening with very little expectations. When the last scene faded out on the New York City landscape, there was a brief moment of silence and then everyone leapt out of their chairs into a standing ovation. The clapping didn't stop until finally Bruce Leddy and the producer Eliza Steel came up to the front for the question and answer session. I don't know much about the film industry or these festival screenings, but I thought people were supposed to be asking questions - instead people took turns standing up and outright praising them for the experience they had during the film. I have to agree with that sold out audience - it was absolutely fantastic. Not only was the script incredibly written and the acting spot on, but the film reaches deep inside all of us and literally pulls at your heart strings. This intelligent comedy does what most movies fail to do which is to connect with all of the human emotions involving relationships from the very highs to the very lows. At the end of the movie, I think the reason everyone was silent for a moment before they jumped up to clap was because they were not ready for it to end! I can not wait for this movie to hit theaters so everyone has the privilege to take this journey with this group of friends to the Hamptons and learn a lesson about life and love that will make both men and women laugh and cry. It is no wonder that the movie ended up winning the Audience Award at the festival.