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

Teddy: [while he is talking on the phone] Oh, I understand.

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Connections

References Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

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Soundtracks

The Riveter
Written by Marcus Barone
Performed by Marcus Barone

User Reviews

One of those rare "near-perfect" movies.

Never heard of this movie, but it was the best bet on the box. Had a thoroughly good time! Excellent writing, direction and performances. Nothing unpredictable - the Hamlet tie-in says it all, even the characters know they are playing out a tragedy and tell each other. But the predictability of the plot comes from the inevitability of the scenario, which in turn comes from the characters. If the resolutions are a little trite, its because its basically a tragedy played out on an action comedy set and there isn't time to beat about the bush. If you liked the wit and love of life in Strictly Ballroom, you'll like this.