The Best Man

Unhitched is your typical romantic comedy. Boy meets girl. Flirtation ensues. Will they get together? Of course they will because this is a romantic comedy and they always do in this type of movie. Thankfully, Unhitched has enough fun with the getting to the denouement that it entertains the viewer despite the familiarity. Seth Green is hilarious as the best friend trying to help his bud out. And Stuart Townsend is fine as the bumbling lovable loser who falls for his friend's fiancée. Luckily for Townsend the friend turns out to be a jerk and he really should be with this girl. All in all Unhitched comes across as an enjoyable if not somewhat predictable piece of film. If it weren't for the predictability, I'd have given it a higher rating since it is well acted and written. Its just that we've seen it all before.

It's not a GREAT movie, but a good one nonetheless. Perfect for a relaxing weekend, with your partner or your best gal pals.

Most importantly, the plot was well-thought through and put together, unlike some romantic comedies which are utterly ridiculous and in which nothing gels.

The lead characters are extremely likable, especially Olly (Stuart Townsend) and Murray (Seth Green). You totally understand why Sarah (Amy Smart) would fall in love with him. He has his quirks (total klutz and a sorta "born-loser") but he has a really good heart. Murray is the best friend whom everyone should want to have. Someone who would do anything to make sure that his best friend gets what he rightly deserves.

One of those movies which gets you to believe in the traditional notions of love once again. To be faithful and truthful to the one you love, and to be willing to do anything to make him/her happy. And also, that being in love brings out the best in a person.

I'm one of these people that loves to think that new romantic comedies can all be as good as Four Weddings and A Funeral, or Notting Hill, before I go to see them. But they can't, sadly.

However, they all have their place, and some of the better ones in recent memory (Just Like Heaven; So I Married an Axe Murderer; Addicted to Love) all have one thing in common: memorable characters put into memorable situations.

The Best Man/Unhitched does, but it isn't Stuart Townsend, who does a decent job of things as the leading man (and girls, he's just as cute but at least somewhat vulnerable unlike LeStat in Queen of the Damned). It isn't Amy Smart, who does a decent job of things as the leading lady (and fellas, she's every bit as cute as we remember her in Road Trip, and gets more screen time, thank the gods).

So who is it? Seth Green of course. And this little fella doesn't get my vote simply because I'm 5'5" like he is (give or take an inch or two). Instead it's because: his accent is really rather good; his character is fun and unpredictable; and we'd ALL be rooting for him or doing what he does in the movie, if our best mate needed our "help".

So is the script decent? Not bad. At times it doesn't flow, and the first half of the movie the dialogue and situations seem a little forced. But there IS an honesty in it, almost as though this or at least part of the premise has happened to the writers or someone they know. The second half of the movie is far better and moves along nicely.

The acting? Not bad. Everyone except Seth Green just does what is required of them and not much more. The Seth-meister (and I feel like I can call him that) is far more animated and approachable than his turns as Oz in Buffy, or in films like Rat Race and The Italian Job.

Can we believe the romance and the motivation behind Olly's (Townsend) actions? Somewhat. He's a bit of a wuss. "Come on Olly, catch a wakeup!" you'll be wanting to shout at the screen.

Will we feel like we enjoyed the past 90 minutes at the end of the movie? I sure did. I'm guessing if you go in with the same low-ish expectations as me then you will as well.

Verdict: 7 out of 10 - It's nothing special, but as a date movie, a cuddle-on-a-rainy-day-DVD or a pick-me-up after some bad news, it works...

Bonus Hollywood value: Seth Green should be teaching Don Cheadle (in Ocean's 11) how to do an English accent!

One of those rare movies that makes you laugh, makes you cry and leaves you feeling good. Great performances and a fantastic 'look'- it has definitely joined my list of "must see movies". I had not seen Seth playing Englsih before and he was brilliant and funny. Amy Smart was Smart and gorgeous. Stuart was fab too - why isn't he on the A list yet?

THE PLOT: James (Steve John Shepherd) is to get married to Sarah (Amy Smart), and has asked his old college chum Olly (Stuart Townsend) to be his best man. Olly is delighted, although having suffered from writer's block for the past five years he is worried about composing the speech. His role becomes even more complicated when he starts to develop some affection for the bride-to-be.

Olly's childhood friend Murray (Seth Green) has always borne an animosity towards James. Not only does he encourage Olly's fondness for Sarah, he also sets about trying to sabotage the marriage with some outrageously funny antics.

Throughly enjoyable

Olly Pickering (Stuart Townsend) and Murray (Seth Green) are childhood friends. They drift apart when Olly goes to college making new friends like James. James and Murray hate each other. Olly graduates and starts writing. Despite early promise, he soon suffers a crisis of confidence. He reconnects with a successful Murray and settles into a drab life without ambitions. James asks Olly to be his best man but he's afraid of writing the best man's speech. On top of everything, he falls for the bride Sarah Marie Barker (Amy Smart).

The story is functional rom-com. There are a couple oddities. I can't accept Seth Green as British. It's funny that Amy Smart has no accents while the sister played by Kate Ashfield is definitely British. Stuart Townsend doesn't have it in him to do slapstick comedy. Despite all of that, the story has all the elements of the rom-com formula and it's somewhat functional as such.