This must be said: "The Groomsmen" was a great and highly underrated film. I follow independent cinema moderately closely, and I don't actually remember this film coming out in theaters. I don't see why it wouldn't have, given the cast of the film. The lead actors in this movie are mostly well-respected in the entertainment industry, if they're not A-listers already. So it's surprising to me this film didn't get a wider release than it actually did.
I found it on DVD in my local video store. I loved Edward Burns in "The Brothers McMullen", "She's The One", and "Saving Private Ryan", so I thought another movie directed by him would be good. I saw it, and it turns out I was right: I really liked the film a lot. Like "McMullen" especially, the movie revolves around guys who live around Long Island, some who are married, and a few who are single, and their struggle to commit. There are a lot of laughs in the film, but it also has a great amount of heart to it. Burns is great playing the laid-back, funny guy he normally plays in his films. Even better, the guys who played his friends, namely Matthew Lillard, Donald Logue (who actually plays his brother), Jay Mohr, and John Leguizamo, were all better than I thought they would be. All of them probably give the best performances of their career (especially Leguizamo).
That being said, here's what the back cover of the DVD says: "The countdown to Paulie's (Edward Burns) wedding . . . reunites Paulie's childhood pals for a week-long raucous bachelor party filled with laughs at every turn. Join in the revelry as this wild bunch relives their glory days with hilarious antics that you'll never forget." The front artwork shows the four friends behind Burns. Burns is smiling, giving Brittany Murphy a piggyback ride in her wedding gown, and wearing a T-shirt that reads "HELP!" in bright red letters. So from this DVD artwork, I thought this film was a frat-house comedy/bachelor party comedy about a guy who wants to go for one final fling before tying the knot. It's unfortunate, too, because that's not at all what the movie is about. Guys who want to see that kind of raunchy, mindless comedy will be sorely disappointed, while other guys who want to see a smart comedy about relationships and camaraderie will pass this movie by in the video store, or even on Netflix. Why do these DVD artwork designers do that? It really ruins the film's credibility in the long run.
Fortunately, I picked out the film because I like Edward Burns, and it exceeded my expectations tenfold. The film had its faults, such as some scenes that went on for longer than they should have. But overall, the film serves as an example of how romantic comedies should be. Other directors who work with higher budget films that star Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts should take a hint from Burns. He knows how to make a much better film on a much lower budget.
