Almost Married

Sitting in the cinema, I very much enjoyed laughing out loud many times during the film. There aren't many films that I would say that about; this is truly one of them.

It's not just a comedy; there is good depth to the story and the characters, with some darker moments and very serious challenges to deal with. The film is looking at male and female differing attitudes towards sex, relationships, truth and honesty. What does happen on a stag do? This is one humorous take on it.

There are some nice twists to keep you thinking. In the end the story is left a little open for the audience to make up there own mind, which works well.

All in all is worth watching.

Choose by the wife (who often judges a book by its cover) - she thought it was a chick flick, was it?

Almost married wasn't the soppy crass movie I had thought it was going to be - but that's what happens when you don't read up on it first :)

To be honest all this has really to do with getting married is how (maybe) your LAD is perceived to handle the lead up to the big day when he has been on a stag night he cannot remember.

A lot of drinking swearing and stupid decisions from the lads mixed with some heart felt moments from Kyle (Phillip McGinley)& Jarvis (Mark Stobbart) "especially in Kyle's garage"

You are drawn in to Kyle's pain from the very start - "Ouch that must have hurt"... From here you join Kyle on is (WTF happened) journey accompanied by best mate Jarvis - now pay attention during the movie or the movie will end with you saying ..Eh.. (I did say there is a twist)

Not the best movie out there but not bad - It's worth a watch...

ME

Almost Married had been on my list of films my wife and I would one day get round to watching. I off course was judging the film poster and the trailer, expecting a typical narrative of a young couple about to get married, have a crisis, resolve it, and live happily ever after. I was so wrong! Director Ben Cookson film is a refreshing surprise. It is funny, but dig deeper and issues, of dishonesty, lies, deceit, and betrayal bubble to the surface.The film feels like an observational documentary, raw unrehearsed with a surprising ending. My wife and I enjoyed the story line and the friendship between Kyle and Javis. You only need to look at Kyle's expression at the very end to know the truth.

Almost Married is a good investment of your time... so don't miss it!

I was lucky enough to be invited to a private screening of Almost Married, I didn't know what to expect as this is director Ben Cookson's first film and I admit I wasn't going into the cinema with any great expectations. What I was treated to was both surprising and extremely satisfying. Almost Married isn't afraid to shock the viewer, with scenes of male urination and visits to GUM clinics, although none of this is done gratuitously, what AM does so brilliantly is to address issues that are relevant in today's society, it does it with a cheeky smile on it's face and some crude jokes along the way. STDs and binge drinking are as much a part of British culture as Strawberries at Wimbledon and Fish and chips on Margate beach are now a days, so it's refreshing for a film to be brave enough to highlight these issues. It would have been easy for AM descend into ever increasing crudeness for crudeness' sake, thankfully this is simply not the case, the issues are handled with a degree of sensitivity and at times tenderness that is virtually always missing from low budget Brit comedy Flicks such as this one. Emily Attacks' performance was fantastic, giving the viewer laughs as well as moments of genuine emotion as she realises the relationship she loves so much is ebbing away from her. The two leading men play off each other brilliantly, Philip McGinley is perfectly cast as our protagonist, the desperate Kyle, who concedes to having made a huge mistake on his Stag do and will do (pretty much) anything to avoid telling his wife to be that he has contracted an STD. Mark Stobbart provides the majority of the laugh out loud moments as Kyle's sidekick, the outrageous, outspoken Jarvis, who conjures up increasingly interesting ideas to get Kyle off the hook and out of trouble, his unique wisdom and words of advice make for some extremely funny moments. The entire cast manage to keep the balance between funny and tender perfectly, even scenes involving prostitutes in a brothel are handled with maturity and discernment. The final scene of the film throws up an unexpected and brilliant twist that you won't see coming. I left the cinema with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction after 97 minutes of pure entertainment. In short, this is a superb directorial debut and I would recommend anyone to go and see it, you won't be disappointed. Bravo Ben Cookson, I for one am excited to see what your next venture will be. This will surely be the start of a long and successful career in film.

I'm not sure if I was watching the same movie as the other reviewers that have all left 8 and above, it begs the question of what they rating they give a good film.

Personally I'm a big fan of British movies, I do what I can to see them and rent them when they come up. I have a lot of faith in the acting and writing of fellow Brits to deliver. From Blackadder to Four Lions there's a lot of genius in British comedy. Sadly none of it is here.

That said the dialogue and direction are good, there was plenty of quality that helped mask an underlying problem. Eventually the dialogue seems to become very repetitive. After an hour I'd got bored of the whining of the protagonist and the sheer banality of his mate, with too few laughs to lift the movie from being dreary. Just because a movie has men wee-ing in it and talks about STI's doesn't make it edgy or even particularly clever and it certainly doesn't make it funny.

5 stars isn't bad for me and its a nod to the positive aspects of the film. It's better than I could do, but it isn't good.