The Groomsmen

By: Lovey

Director: Edward Burns
Cast: Edward Burns, Donal Logue, Jay Mohr, Matthew Lillard, John Leguizamo, Brittany Murphy

Rating: 2 out of 5
Oh my gosh… if this is what guys really think and act in the lead up to their own, or one of their mates weddings, then girls, we need to re-think what we are doing.

What Ed Burns does with The Groomsmen is do what he does well – lifts the lid on the male psyche. And to be honest, I’m not sure I really wanted to know.
I mean, the groom has second doubts about the wedding, his best man openly disrespects the expecting bribe-to-be, there is always fighting – and how immature are these guys? One still lives at home and pines over his girlfriend, while another just wants to “rock out” all day – and these are men in their mid-30s ladies.

No. I refuse to believe that all men are this juvenile. Surely at some point they grow out of the need to throw punches and pee in the car of their nemesis… don’t they? According to My Burns (who, as a side bar, is really cute), they do NOT!

All of that said, Brittany Murphy is stunning in this movie. She does a great job of eventually bringing Paulie (Burns) into line, and helps him to see the bigger picture that he’s been staring at but not seeing.

The wife of the best man is also written and played well. Here is a woman being pushed away by her husband, and yet she remains loyal to the man she loves. Good for you honey.

This is one I would recommend watching with some single girlfriends who are concerned because they don’t have a man. It may help put things in perspective.

Verbatim:
Mike Sullivan to TC: “Gay pride! Woo-hoo!.”

In a word: Revealing

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

There’s something to be said for that Ed Burns. The man knows his stuff when it comes to how guys think – which makes sense considering he stands when he goes to the toilet and knows stuff about tanks, thus indicating he is, in fact, a guy.

So here we have a fella (Burns) on the brink of marriage, who wants to spend time with his amigos in his final days of freedom. Fair enough. Typically though, his fiancée (played by the very hot Brittany Murphy) cracks the whip by crying about wanting him to stay home, paint the baby’s room, build a crib etc etc.

What ensues is how said groom does enough to keep the wolf at bay, while still presenting well to the lads about how he’s not under the thumb etc. Respect.

This is not a bad movie per say, but it is slow. And what strikes The Dude as being as weird as a weird situation in Weirdville, is that Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo movies is the sage of the film. He’s the one dishing out the advice and wisdom. This from the guy who smoked wacky tobaccy with a CGI dog, and throughout The Groomsmen wants to do little more than to “rock out”. The only advice I’d be getting’ from him would be on how to smoke a bowl, and how to play the opening lick to Van Halen’s Eruption.
Dude out.

Verbatim:
Jimbo: “I’m the centre fielder, bitch.”

In a word: Sharp