Fuga dal matrimonio

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!

I'm sure Edward Burns gets plenty of complaints about his films, and I'm probably part of the minority that has enjoyed every single film he's done so far (at least out of the films he's written and directed). I can sort of understand why. Film is meant to be a visual medium, and as much as I enjoy his work, Burns is not exactly a director whose prime concern is the visuals. But I don't care! I'm one of the few film buffs who has never checked out any of the "Lord of the Rings" flicks. Why is that? Because I don't give a damn about special effects or CGI or elaborate sets or elaborate costumes. I care about interesting characters and interesting dialogue, and Burns always delivers in those two departments. I can relate to many of the characters in his films. I can't relate to Hobbits or whatever creatures you see in those "LOTR" flicks. Having watched the film's previews, I thought this might be Burns' attempt at making a more mainstream feature. But it wasn't. It was a typical Burns flick with typical Burns characters, who all have troubled love lives and swig Heineken like no tomorrow. "The Groomsmen" has a few flaws. Some of the NY accents sounded fake and came and went. Jay Mohr is from Jersey, so he really didn't have to try so hard to fake a NY accent when his real accent sounds close enough anyway. Also, hearing John Leguizamo sing was an example of "Don't quit your day job." He sounds almost as bad as I do when I sing karaoke, and I'm pretty sure even a garage band would have a better singer than him. His voice crackles whenever he hits the high notes. Being a baritone, I know what that's like. That's why I don't sing in a band. Plus, the "faking" of the guitar playing wasn't always convincing, even to someone who's never played guitar. And finally, the payoff to the subplot involving Leguizamo's character could've been a lot stronger. I'm not going to give away the twist involving his character, even though someone else on IMDb probably will. Other than those minor flaws, I really enjoyed the film. The cast is solid, though I'm sure Brittany Murphy was put in the movie simply to add star power. I don't hate Brittany as an actress, but a better, lesser-known actress could've played the role instead. The music is great as well. Thanks to Burns, I have two of the film's songs stuck in my head...but that's a good thing. He chose to use good songs from the 70's and 80's that weren't necessarily hits. If you're not a fan of Burns' work, this film probably won't change your mind. If you are a fan like me...enjoy the show.

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.

I found myself not quite sure what to do with my Saturday and opted to see The Groomsmen. For what reasons I am not sure. I have't heard anything about this movie. I think Brittany Murphy is in it and I think that one guy who was in Saving Private Ryan is in it oh yeah, Matthew Lillard. Sweet, it's going to be hilarious a la Wedding Crashers. WRONG.

This was an incredible flick. Entertaining for beginning to end. Not at all what I was expecting. With a solid cast- not a "Hollywood" star studded cast by a long shot- this movie brought laughter, sympathy, and everything else I enjoy feeling when seeing a movie. Amazing performances by a very talented cast.

Hopefully by word of mouth this movie gets on its feet and everyone gets to the theater to see this. This is a guys movie. This is a girls movie. This is a great movie. I strongly encourage everyone to see this. There are so many issues that are discussed and dealt with in this film its a hit for everyone. A+

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