Fuga dal matrimonio

I saw this film at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan and I really enjoyed it. Directed and starring Edward Burns, this was actually an entertaining movie even though it had some of the clichéd things going in the story. Ed Burns is about to marry Brittany Murphy, and the film is about the last few days leading up to the wedding. The part drama part comedy did a good job of portraying longtime friendship and the troubles everyone goes through to keep their friendship together.

I really enjoyed the ensemble, and was actually surprised how good Matthew Lillard was in it. He still had some of his goofy quirks like his usual movie characters, but he acted like an adult in this film. John Leguizamo also did a nice job playing one of the friends that has a secret. Jay Mohr was really the comic part of the film, and I didn't mind, his scenes were funny and amusing.

Overall, Ed Burns made a great buddy picture. Though some of the storyline was pretty familiar, it was well executed and in the end was a lot of fun.

"There's a difference between getting older and growing up." That is The Groomsmen's other, more appropriate tagline, but the one they used was "Till death do we party!". Having said that, one can say that The Groomsmen is a surprise; for one, it's not a laugh-out-loud comedy, despite starring sitcom staples and a misleadingly happy poster. It does have comedic elements but it is more dramatic than funny. The audience gets the feeling that Burns is trying to communicate honest men's points of view ala Sex in the City via such varied characters.

Paulie (the incredibly talented writer/director/producer/actor Edward Burns) knocks up his longtime girlfriend Sue (Brittany Murphy), and so they plan to get married. A week before the wedding, he meets up with his four groomsmen, each with a different take on being a thirty-something and how that affects their friendship.

Donal Logue (from TV's Grounded for Life) plays Jimbo, Paulie's older brother who is having marital and job troubles and frequents a strip bar. Mike (Jay Mohr) still lives with his father and was dumped by his hot girlfriend for being too childish. T.C. (John Leguizamo) was the one who went AWOL on them for eight years, harboring a personal secret and is finally able to come to grips with it by finally telling his childhood friends. Dez (Matthew Lillard) takes a startling turn as the responsible, got-it-together guy in the group, with the kids and the wife. Amazing that he gets this role after being typecast in such movies like Scream, Without a Paddle and Scooby Doo.

While The Groomsmen suffers from being a tad flat, largely because of misled expectations, it is earnest, and deliberately takes its time, soaking in Burns' version of suburban New York.

Writer-Director Edward Burns has groomed another creative & wily film in his latest marry, I mean merry, offering "The Groomsmen". Burns also stars as Paulie, a Long Island lifer who is having cold feet by getting the all too familiar "till death due you part" phobia on marrying his pregnant fiancé Sue, played by the chirpy Brittany Murphy. However, the primary premise of "The Groomsmen" is the groomsmen themselves. They are Paulie's lifelong crackers, I mean buddies, who each have a certain dilemma. Donald Logue plays Jimbo, Paulie's beer-quenching brother who is a strip bar dweller & ignores his devoted, but yet, growing impatient wife Julianna (Heather Burns). Next coming through the groomsmen aisle, we have Des (Mathew Lilliard), the dutiful husband & father who gets a candid excitement in getting his 80's high school cover band reunited which obviously are comprised of le groomsmen themselves. Also grooming through, we got the unripe Mike portrayed by Jay Mohr; Mike's childlike & obsessive antics get him in "not to be or like Mike" hot water turmoil with his ex-girlfriend and even with a few of the groomsmen. John Leguziamo plays T.C., which might stand for "too cool" by having a ripe aura about him, but it might also stand for "top covert" because he has been out of town & touch from his crazy clan for eight years due to a personal secret. The ensemble acting of "The Groomsmen" were lords of the auteur rings. However, the best acting men were Mohr & Leguziamo. Steady Eddie's crafty screenplay does ring similar bells in theme & structure to some of his past independent films. However, why should Burns cinematically divorce himself from his exceptional & practical scribing style. Burns once again proves that he masterfully incorporates friendship, family, guilt, Catholicism, Irish-upbringing, and New York homage to his film-work. "The Groomsmen" marches itself as one of the best films of 2006 . ***** Excellent

Fresh from the Seattle International Film Festival --

The Groomsmen is a poignant look at relationships and forgiveness; true friendship, spousal, sibling, parent-child, and ex's. It provides a great blend of comedy and drama to not be too heavy, yet stay truly thought provoking. At times the character development scenes were a bit long, but forgivable overall. The cast is amazing, you easily forget their previously roles and see them only as the lifelong friends that they portray in this movie. The soundtrack is an excellent trip back to the rock of the 80's with the likes of Loverboy and Eddie Money. I would recommend this movie to women and men alike. It has something for everybody!

Thank you, Matt, for visiting us in Seattle!

This movie was great, because it took a real life situation and made it fun and entertaining. One of the reasons I liked this movie so much is I thought the casting was excellent. Every actor and actress fit and portrayed their character so well. Even the those that were not the main characters were excellent and made it an Ensemble Cast. The movie flowed and always kept you laughing. I really liked the music. Ed chose some great hits from the past and there was a new one at the end, Four Cheers that was excellent. I liked the way the music would move you into the next scene. In fact I've been singing the songs ever since I saw the movie. I definitely recommend this movie.