Number Rolled: 81
Movie Name/Year: A
Few Best Men (2011)
Tagline: Keep
your friends close, but don't invite them to your wedding.
Genre: Comedy,
Romance
Length: 97
minutes
Rating: NR
Production Companies:
Screen Australia, Quickfire Films, Screen NSW, Parabolic Pictures, Stable Way
Entertainment, Unthank Films, Story Bridge Films, Ingenious Broadcasting,
Auburn Entertainment
Producer: Antonia
Barnard, Dean Craig, Todd Fellman, Gary Hamilton, Josh Kesselman, Mark R.
Lindsay, Laurence Malkin, Share Stallings, James M. Vernon
Director: Stephan
Elliott
Writer: Dean
Craig
Actors: Laura
Brent, Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop, Tim Draxl, Elizabeth
Debicki, Olivia Newton-John, Rebel Wilson, Jonathan Biggins, Oliver Torr, Steve
Le Marquand, Alan Cinis, Kim Knuckey
Stunt Doubles: Perry
Attfield, Ingrid Kleinig, Scott Marcus, Rhys Richards, Sharelle Starr, Ben
Toyer
Blurb from Netflix:
A would-be groom sees his wedding day turn into a fiasco when his terminally
pubescent best friends, a drug dealer, and a male sheep enter the picture.
Selina’s Point of View:
This was the Australian version of the Hangover (2009) with a little more romance.
I’ll admit that there were some funny moments in A Few Best Men; I giggled here and
there. I was even emotionally touched a few times, but I don’t think there was
anything even remotely original about the film.
By fifteen minutes in, I not only knew the ending, but I
called at least six things leading up to the ending. Big things. Things that
were meant to be huge surprises.
That said, it wasn’t a terrible movie. It wasn’t painful to
sit through or anything… just a little boring. I feel like a few minor tweaks
in the plot or script could have easily turned this Hangover wannabe into something that could stand on its own.
After all, the acting wasn’t bad and some of the jokes were
decent. I just wish they’d have done one thing, just ONE thing that didn’t fit
the tropes one would expect.
Honestly, I think the writer was lazy.
If you really need some background noise, or to turn your
brain off after a hard day, then this would be fine for you. I wouldn’t watch
it if you’re looking for something to really make you roll from laughter, or
something that would blow your mind. It’s not awesome and I’d bet it won’t even
be memorable.
I suspect that in a year or two when I’m going through blog
records I’m going to come across the title of this film and stare at it blankly
until I speak to Cat and ask her what dimension we watched this in. (This is a
thing that recently happened with the film If
I Stay [2014]. I still don’t remember anything about that film.)
Cat’s Point of View:
I absolutely loved this movie.
I became intrigued with Xavier Samuel (Bait, Plush, Love & Friendship) a while back and sought out
some of his work. From Shakespearean England to facing down tsunami-stranded sharks,
he’s definitely shown that he has quite the range. Of course, this movie added
some levity. Samuel played it brilliantly.
I really liked the chemistry between Samuel and his
on-screen fiancé, Laura Brent (Legend of
the Seeker, Healing, Secret City). It felt believable, even if parts of the
tale itself were a little harder to suspend disbelief on. But who cares,
really?
The movie was meant to be rollicking fun rather than some
serious drama. There’s some irreverent humor - mostly spearheaded by friends
Tom, Graham, and Luke; played by Kris Marshall (The Merchant of Venice, Meant to Be, Sparks and Embers), Kevin
Bishop (Moonwalkers, The Rack Pack, Birds
Like Us), and Tim Draxl (In My Sleep,
Undocumented, A Place to Call Home) respectively.
There were a couple of pleasant surprises among the cast, as
well. Before her career really took off, at least here in the States, Rebel
Wilson (Bridesmaids, Pain & Gain, The
Brothers Grimsby) played the unsubtle sister of Brent’s character, Mia. I
really enjoyed her performance – it avoided being too far over-the-top as some
of her more recent roles have been.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Olivia
Newton-John (Sordid Lives, The Wilde
Girls, Score: A Hockey Musical). Not only does some of her music grace the
soundtrack of the film, but she plays the mother-in-law to be. I adore her
character here. She captured the essence of the politician’s wife – as well as
handling the other demands of her role deftly. I can’t say more without giving
too much away!
I could probably babble on forever about this movie, but
I’ll spare you by leaving you with my firm recommendation that this film is
great for some good laughs. I’ll likely watch this one again on more than one
occasion.
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 16%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 36%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.7/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 5/5
Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating: R
P.S. Short scene
after the credits.
Movie Trailer:
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