Best Men

"Best Men" can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a comedy or a drama and scrambles both while compromising each only to cap the confusion with some mediocre action. A technically okay production with a decent cast of 2nd tier talent, this film is a directorial disaster with a sloppy make-it-up-as-we-go-along storyline. Character development is not sufficient to allow the audience to summon the emotions the film seems to demand and comedic purpose is lost in quotes from Hamlet and a lot of sappy personal relationship issues.

My friend bought this movie out of the $5 bin at Walmart for a laugh. I was just expecting a stupid, mindless romantic comedy. What I found was a brilliant piece of work. The script is quite impressive. The story actually focuses on the "Best Men" like it says, not on the bride and groom. The whole film is chock full of lovable (and not so lovable) vibrant characters from nerdy little Teddy to Billy, the classical romantic hero, to Buzz the top-notch soldier with a heart of gold to Sol the lawyer you don't want to trust. Why had I never heard of this movie before?!? This definitely deserves a place on the shelf for anyone who loves comedy and good writing.

I thought this was a cross between "Dog Day Afternoon", "Diner" and "In Country" with a bit of any Steven Seagal movie thrown in. I liked it because the characters were all interesting, even the FBI, who are usually not real characters. Out of the large cast, I enjoyed Ray Barry and Dean Cain the most. What you'll get out of this movie is anyone's guess, but its that unpredictability that I appreciate.

Never heard of this movie, but it was the best bet on the box. Had a thoroughly good time! Excellent writing, direction and performances. Nothing unpredictable - the Hamlet tie-in says it all, even the characters know they are playing out a tragedy and tell each other. But the predictability of the plot comes from the inevitability of the scenario, which in turn comes from the characters. If the resolutions are a little trite, its because its basically a tragedy played out on an action comedy set and there isn't time to beat about the bush. If you liked the wit and love of life in Strictly Ballroom, you'll like this.

This movie starts out with some real promise. It begins as a comedic naive-criminal type movie. A theme rendered masterfully in the film Bottle Rocket. With a cast that includes Andy Dick you start to expect even an element of superb slap stick and goofy-ness. If only this movie could have reached half of the understated brilliance of Bottle Rocket, it would have succeeded. Unfortunately, it fails spectacularly. Half way through the film they decide to ditch the comedic theme and dive head first into an action film. Complete with over the top chase scenes and graphic violence that leaves the viewer wondering if someone taped over the second half of the film with an episode of the A-team. And don't get me wrong I love blood and guts action a la John Woo, but in this film it is completely out of place. This film tries to combine the sincere comedy of Bottle Rocket with the over the top action of Hard Boiled and manages to fail at both in the process. It is a shame too because if they had stuck to one or the other they might have ended up with a decent film.