The Groomsmen (2006)

A groom (Ed Burns) and his four attendants wrestle with issues related to friendship and maturity a week before the big day.

Director:

Edward Burns

Writer:

Edward Burns

Stars:

Edward Burns, Matthew Lillard, Brittany Murphy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Burns	...	Paulie
Heather Burns	...	Jules
John Leguizamo	...	TC
Matthew Lillard	...	Dez Howard
Donal Logue	...	Jimbo
Jay Mohr	...	Cousin Mike Sullivan
Brittany Murphy	...	Sue
Shari Albert	...	Tina Howard
Jessica Capshaw	...	Jen
Spencer Fox	...	Little Jack
Kevin Kash	...	Strip Club MC
Amy Leonard	...	Crystal
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Mr. B (as Arthur Nascarella)
John F. O'Donohue	...	Pops (as John O'Donohue)
Joe Pistone	...	Top Cat

Storyline

The story follows the misadventures and confusion of a groom (Ed Burns) and his four groomsmen the week before a wedding. Wrestling with issues of fatherhood, honesty and growing up, the five thirty-somethings discover their extended adolescence might be finally coming to a close.

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Plot Keywords:

walking in the middle of the street | washing one's face with one's hands | pushing | gay | ferry | 

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Taglines:

There's a difference between getting older and growing up.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Bauer Martinez Entertainment [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Brudgomsnerver

Filming Locations:

Antarctica Bar - 287 Hudson Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$128,585, 24 September 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marlboro Road Gang Productions, Bauer Martinez Studios, Blue Rider Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Mahoney played the father of Edward Burns in this film, but all of his scenes were cut. However, you can catch a glimpse of him on the left during the wedding footage as the camera follows Edward Burns and Brittany Murphy out of the church. The deleted scenes can be found on the DVD bonus features.

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Goofs

When Mike and TC are tussling there is a pool cue that disappears and reappears on the right edge of the table; when they are finished and Paulie and TC are going to play, the cues are set differently than before.

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Quotes

Paulie: ...why do you do the whole kids thing?
Dez Howard: ...if you have one kid, you lose a little bit of your life, a little free time, a little bit of your freedom. But you have two kids, your life is over, Jo-Jo.
Paulie: So why do it? I mean... why did you and Tina have another kid?
Dez Howard: What do you do with your free time? Honestly, what do you do? You watch TV. You go hang out with these knuckleheads. You jerk off, right? Listen to me. Free time, it's not all it's cracked up to be. But at the end of the night, if I ...

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Connections

References Little House on the Prairie (1974)

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Soundtracks

Gold
Written by John Stewart (as John C. Stewart)
Performed by John Stewart
Published by UniChappell Music Inc. (BMI) o/b/o itself and Bungle Publishing (BMI)
Courtesy of Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Four Cheers Indeed!

The new Ed Burns movie, The Groomsmen, is the seemingly simple story of friends coming together to celebrate an upcoming wedding. Paulie (Ed Burns), the soon-to-be groom/father, is the central character around whom the others revolve. The groomsmen (Jay Mohr, Donal Logue, John Leguizamo, and Matthew Lillard) gather in their home town before the big day, having decided to fore go the "traditional bachelor party" in order to relive the best time of their lives when the most important things were Beer, Baseball and the Band.

Along the way to recapturing their youth, snippets of dissatisfaction, insecurity and regret are woven into the story. With skillful editing and realistic dialogue, Mr. Burns subtly strips away the macho banter, allowing the audience to get to know and care about these life-long friends. In each scene with an individual groomsman, Paulie (the former tag-along little brother) seems to be giving, rather than receiving, advice and in doing so works through his own pre-nuptial jitters. While counseling his old friends he comes to realize he's almost lost his newest friend. The seemingly simplistic resolutions are actually testaments to lasting friendships in which a nod and a hug are all that are necessary to realize you do have the best of both worlds.

This really is such a good movie: the characters are well-developed, the acting is understated, the cinematography is beautiful and the music is not only good, but pertinent. The audience is made to feel a part of it. Thank you, Mr. Burns et al, for 90 minutes of entertainment and hours of discussion on what makes these guys tick. I'm not just going to recommend this movie to my friends, I'll be going back to see it with them! Four Cheers!!