Best Men (1997)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Tamra Davis

Writers (WGA):

Art Edler Brown (written by) &
Tracy Fraim (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A comedy thriller about four men, a wedding and everybody's funeral.

Plot:

The film opens with 4 tuxedo clad men showing up at a penitentiary to meet a friend who has just been...

Plot Keywords:

Reunited Friends | FBI | Father Son Relationship | Coming Out | Bank Robbery

Cast

Dean Cain	...	Buzz
Andy Dick	...	Teddy
Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Billy
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Sol
Luke Wilson	...	Jesse
Fred Ward	...	Sheriff Phillips
Raymond J. Barry	...	Hoover
Drew Barrymore	...	Hope
Brad Dourif	...	The Vet
Tracy Fraim	...	Cuervo
Art Edler Brown	...	Carter
Jeff Phillips	...	The Rookie
Biff Yeager	...	Mayor Boar (also as Biff Yaeger)
Kathryn Joosten	...	Edie
Dee Maaske	...	Dorothy

Also Known As:

Independence (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Austria:18 | France:U | Netherlands:16 (video premiere) | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Front Street, Norwalk, California, USA

Company:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA)

Trivia:

Dean Cain dedicated his performance to the memory of his uncle, Lt. Col. George Eynon "Buzz" Thomas, USAF and his family. Dean's character in the movie shares the same name as his uncle.

Quotes:

Jesse: So, how's Mary?
Teddy: Oh, she hates me.
Jesse: Maybe it's just a phase... her hating you.
Teddy: Uh, huh... Oh no, she's pretty much hated me since the day I got her pregnant.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Soundtrack:

Cold Summer

Not what I expected, but a good watch all the same

Maybe I shouldn't have liked "Best Men," but I did. I watched it late last night on either HBO or Showtime, I don't remember which, with reservations and low hopes. The rating of 6 here seemed decent enough, but the comment(s) that showed on the main info page seemed rather negative. Still, I decided to give the movie a chance.

I'm really glad that I did. This movie had some laughs and some teary-eyed moments. I, personally, both laughed and cried hard, and I know for a fact that it wasn't just because of the late-night time affecting my rationality and/or emotions. I missed the first 10 minutes or so of the movie, which had me a little confused, but I don't think it mattered too awfully much--I'll be sure to rent or buy (this one should be cheap if I can find it) it and watch it again to find out. That being said, I'll move on to my opinions of the individual actors/characters.

I'd never heard of Dean Cain before. I vaguely recognized him without knowing from where--turns out he was the host of "Ripley's Believe It or Not," which I used to watch fairly frequently. That's the only place I'd ever seen him, so I had no idea of what his acting skills were going into this movie. I was pleased with Cain's performance as Buzz. He had a perfect body and attitude for the "tough military guy," although he could've been a bit softer during certain scenes. Still, he did well enough, and certainly didn't detract from the movie.

I went into the film liking Andy Dick. He made me laugh my head off in "Hebrew Hammer," I watch his series "The Assistant" whenever I can, and I've enjoyed all the little guest parts he's had in a great deal of movies. With the exception of "The Assistant," I'd only seen him in slapstick settings. Although he was certainly funny--even hilarious at times--it was a different type of funny, and I really liked it. I'd like to see him in more roles like this: funny, but a little serious. He did a great job as Teddy; I only wish he would have had more time on-screen. Maybe if I'd caught those first minutes of the movie I'd have seen more of him.

Sean Patrick Flanery was definitely the star of the show in my mind. The only other movie I'd seen him in was "Powder," and I didn't recognize him at all here--I only found out it was the same actor when I checked his bio page here. In "Best Men" he did a truly superb job as Billy. He delivered his Shakespeare lines incredibly well, without sounding hesitant, fake, or anything like that. The lines just flowed out, and I think I fell in love a little. His scenes with his father were perfectly believable. All in all, Billy was just my favorite character.

Mitchell Whitfeld did well as Sol. I'd never seen him before this movie, so I didn't know what to expect; I wasn't disappointed. His best line in the movie is the "I'm Jewish" one--so funny!

I've seen lots of Luke Wilson's movies before, and I've always found him thoroughly enjoyable. This held true in "Best Men" as well. I felt really bad for his character, Jesse--I mean, come on, stuck in a bank robbery on your wedding day? That just sucks. A good character, though he (surprisingly) wasn't on screen that much compared to the other characters.

Finally, there's Drew Barrymore as Hope. This woman is one of my favorite actresses of all time, so I was a little disappointed to see that she was barely ever on-screen. For the few minutes we see her, however, she did well.

Although this movie seemed a little random--unequal parts humor, drama, and action--it was still a very good watch. I'll definitely rent this, and if I ever see it for sale I'll be sure to buy it immediately. I give it a 7 out of 10--a slightly more coherent plot would have given it an 8.