Shut Up and Sing

I never review movies, but this movie got on my nerves so bad, I felt compelled to write about it. You may think me unfair to rate a movie so harshly after only seeing 20 minutes of it, but that was all it took to see that the dialog was horrendous (i.e. pretentious, annoying, irritating and unbelievable.) I wonder if the screenwriter was purposely making the characters douche bags, or if he thought he was making them hip and cool. The acting was not great, but it may, again, be the fault of the script. I would never be friends with people like this, and therefore, had no absolutely no interest in investing myself in their lives for one more minute.

"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.

I had the opportunity to go to the Gen Art film fest this year, and must say this movie was my favorite. It is like the feel good-movie of year. I love how the movie makes me laugh, while really plucking on my heart strings at the same time. Unlike many recent films, this movie was sincere and did not rely on special effects or political plot lines to keep your attention. My friends and I could not get those modern acappella covers out of our heads. Whether it was John Mayer or Ben Folds or Phil Collins or Frank Sinatra, this movie features songs for every taste. The movie really leaves you with a smile on your face, and for the first time in awhile you are actually entertained. Try to see it and look forward to the soundtrack.

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.

Actually a great movie, pretty fun and entertaining. They manage to squeeze some good mileage out of a tried and tested formula, with some very nice performances. Rosemarie DeWitt is especially fun to watch, and Molly Shannon's shtick mostly refreshing, while Liz Stauber manages to fill a small role with unexpectedly biting, dry wit. The men are all fine too, and their camaraderie feels fresh and real. The dialogues are loving crafted and witty, but manage to avoid being annoyingly clever. At the end I was perhaps missing a hint of a wider perspective, or deeper insight, into some of the themes previously touched upon. The story stayed firmly in romantic comedy territory, though, but it didn't diminish the pleasure of watching this film.