terrible... so disappointed.

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Best Men is the most charming, dainty and innocuous movie about bank robbing that you'll ever see. It's premise revolves around a wedding party that unwittingly gets roped into a heist, but they're all solid folks, including the perpetrator, and all just want the best for the happy couple they are celebrating for. Therein lies both the comedic and the touching moments, of which there are many, supplied by a diverse and very capable cast. A troupe of best men accompany a groom (Luke Wilson) on the way to his matrimonial bliss. One among them is a hotheaded adrenaline junkie named Billy (Sean Patrick Flanery, never more adorable). Billy has knack for robbing banks whilst reciting Shakespeare. Demands, commands, profanities. All in the Bard's tongue. He brazenly holds up a rural branch and drags his friends in, including two others, an ex military stud (Dean Cain) and a squirrelly, pussy whipped Andy Dick. They soon find themselves trapped in the bank with law enforcement prepping a siege outside their front door and Wilson's determined Bridezilla (a feisty Drew Barrymore) marching straight into the crime scene to furiously give her fiancé what for. Billy also has severe daddy issues, which probably led to him lashing out in such a theatrical fashion in the first place. Coincidentally, the local sheriff (Fred Ward) happens to be his Poppa, and the two face off in scenes which undermine the lighter tone and dig for pathos that's worth pausing for. They're threatened by a gung ho FBI agent (Raymond J. Barry) who wants to blow them to kingdom come so he can go to lunch. They also find themselves sequestered in the bank with a sketchy Viet nam vet played by a wicked funny Brad Dourif in quite the commanding little supporting turn. Amid the screwball roughhousing, him and Cain find a few aching moments of truth relating to Cain's sexual orientation, and his shame regarding it. I love a light, harebrained comedy, but I love em even more when they take deep breaths between fits of lunacy to gift their characters with some gravity that makes you feel something besides your sides splitting. This ones sadly forgotten, and you should all give it a go, it's a gem.

There are some movies so bad,that when you watch them on video or TV,you wonder, "Why did they bother with this?" "Why didn't they shelve it?" That's what I wondered when I caught this unoriginal,cliché' filled movie on late night TV.The first hour of this movie (including commercials) is truly a mess and completely unbelievable. While I can see the possibility of a man getting out of jail and going to his waiting bride, I could not buy how he and his friends end up helping their buddy "Hamlet" (Billy)in the bank and keeping their fellow towns-people hostage. Even more ridiculous is that because the guys are "nice",they end up basically helping them too.Dean Cain is really the only convincing male actor of the five (at least in the first 1/2). Although his coming out of the bank,with guns blazing is just plain stupid,along with the fact that he's wearing guns under his tuxedo in the first place.Andy Dick seems to only be able to play one character his whole career,a strange,nerdy kind of Matthew from "News Radio" boy-man. He really has no place here and his "tell off the wife over the phone" scene has been done way too many times in movies and TV shows,it's completely unoriginal.As is most of this blatant small town rip-off of "Dog Day Afternoon" (which they at least acknowledge their ripping off). We get a sheriff who's the father of wanted criminal "Hamlet". We also get the cliché' of the crowd cheering for "Hamlet" like he's some kind of Robin Hood folk hero! "I went to high school with that guy!" Says one of them,then they're chanting "Hamlet" over & over.So,we get the "you we're never there for me dad" plot,which has also been done in movies TV shows. Which made it hard to be sympathetic,but not just in that case,I couldn't sympathize with any of these characters. Even after finding out about their personal downfalls.The Vietnam vet is so much a cartoon that what could have been a great character is wasted. As are the acting talents of Drew Barrymore. Her presence in all this is spread quite thin. Then there's the expected FBI converging on the town,with the leader who just wants to blast the bad guys away. He and the sheriff are of course at at odds with each other and the other big city FBI men make fun of the small town's people. "They should be used to shot gun weddings here." (Referring to Barrymore and her boyfriend wanting to get married in the middle of a hostage situation.) I really only got into the movie when the more truthful and real elements came into play. When Andy is the first to get shot and then the FBI shooting up Cain and "Hamlet's" get away bus in a scene somewhat similar to the ending of Clint Eastwood's,"The Gauntlet". "Hamlet" and father make amends just before that and Dad let's his son get away. (Oh please!) Then the final two biggest rip off's of all. Barrymore and soon to be husband are given the stolen money by "Hamlet" and they fly of in the Vietnam Vet's helicopter and escape scott free. Shades of "D.B. Cooper"! Dean Cain and "Hamlet" then have one bullet each in their guns after the bus crashes and their all shot up. Just like the final scene in "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" they come running out together and Cain takes down the leader of the FBI,who he swore he'd take out. All the supposed "reasons" these characters have for letting themselves into this mess are contrived and flimsy at best. I would say if this movie had been made a long time ago and had there not been "Dog Day Afternoon",it might seem more plausible but even the intense last half,which did hold my interest,is not enough to like this movie.Four stars for the final,intense attempted getaway chase scene and "Hamlet's" very well spoken Shakespearian quotes,which do fit in here and the movie thankfully taking a needed turn into reality. Otheriwse,I'd never bother with "Best Men" again. (END)

My friend bought this movie out of the $5 bin at Walmart for a laugh. I was just expecting a stupid, mindless romantic comedy. What I found was a brilliant piece of work. The script is quite impressive. The story actually focuses on the "Best Men" like it says, not on the bride and groom. The whole film is chock full of lovable (and not so lovable) vibrant characters from nerdy little Teddy to Billy, the classical romantic hero, to Buzz the top-notch soldier with a heart of gold to Sol the lawyer you don't want to trust. Why had I never heard of this movie before?!? This definitely deserves a place on the shelf for anyone who loves comedy and good writing.

Some films have it all. This doesn't. It opens quite ok, a bunch of friends gathered for a wedding. But very soon the movie hits the unthinkable level. I like strange movies, but they have to be somewhat logical, to the characters at least, but there are too many unthinkable, unbelievable actions taken in this movie:** SPOILERS BELOW ** READ IT, DON'T SEE THE FILM1) The robber "Hamlet" has to rob the bank on his friends wedding day. Stupid, unnecessary, risky2) When Buzz comes storming in, he removes his hood, and the two guys uses their real names. Stupid.3) The other guys drop by, no other person attempts to enter the bank, only these guys, although the bank is full of people. Unlikely.4) The helicopter pilot all of a sudden gets his hands on a Lynx? My god, he is a lunatic who got fired from the army, no chance in hell is he gonna get his hands on an army helicopter!This movie sucks, and I regret staying up to see it.