Best Men (1997)

Four best men pick up their friend, the groom, outside prison. On the way to the chapel, they stop at a bank and get involved in a robbery. The bank's surrounded. FBI takes over.

Director:

Tamra Davis

Writers:

Art Edler Brown, Tracy Fraim

Stars:

Dean Cain, Andy Dick, Sean Patrick Flanery

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Biff Yaeger)
Kathryn Joosten	...	Edie
Dee Maaske	...	Dorothy

Storyline

The film opens with four tuxedo clad men showing up at a penitentiary to meet a friend who has just been released after three years in prison and is going straight from the jail to marry his girlfriend. En route to the wedding, one of the men asks to stop by a bank to pick up some cash. As it turns out, he is a wanted bank robber who uses Shakespeare passages during his robberies and thus has become known as "Hamlet". Soon all five men are caught up in the bank and involved in the robbery as they end up in a hostage situation. The hostage negotiator shows up who turns out to be Hamlet's father. As the men are all known to those being robbed, this quirky comedy takes a left turn as their hostages all work to support the men.

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Plot Keywords:

bank robbery | bare chested male | male underwear | briefs | white briefs | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dean Cain dedicated his performance to the memory of his uncle, Lieutenant Colonel George Eynon "Buzz" Thomas, U.S. Air Force and his family. Dean's character in the movie shares the same name as his uncle.

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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.

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Connections

References Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

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Soundtracks

Hey Cowboy
Performed by Kostars
Written by Vivian Trimble
Recorded & Mixed by Josephine Wiggs at "Meat and Potatoes" Studio, assisted by Kate Schellenbach
Appears on 'Klassics with A K' (GR025)
Courtesy of Grand Royal Records

User Reviews

Best men, worst film.

"Best Men" can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a comedy or a drama and scrambles both while compromising each only to cap the confusion with some mediocre action. A technically okay production with a decent cast of 2nd tier talent, this film is a directorial disaster with a sloppy make-it-up-as-we-go-along storyline. Character development is not sufficient to allow the audience to summon the emotions the film seems to demand and comedic purpose is lost in quotes from Hamlet and a lot of sappy personal relationship issues.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Independence

Filming Locations:

Front Street, Norwalk, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA), Orion Pictures, The Rank Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1