Best Men (1997)

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 ... See full summary »

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:

reference to william shakespeare | title directed by female | best man | reference to shakespeare's hamlet | chase | 

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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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact that this was filmed in Super 35, "Filmed in Panavision" is listed in the end credits.

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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 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

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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

Weird hybrid but I liked it

I thought this was a cross between "Dog Day Afternoon", "Diner" and "In Country" with a bit of any Steven Seagal movie thrown in. I liked it because the characters were all interesting, even the FBI, who are usually not real characters. Out of the large cast, I enjoyed Ray Barry and Dean Cain the most. What you'll get out of this movie is anyone's guess, but its that unpredictability that I appreciate.