The Foursome (2006)

Four old friends reconnect at their 20-year college reunion.

Director:

William Dear

Writer:

Jackson Davies (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Dillon, John Shaw, Chris Gauthier

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Dillon	...	Rick Foster
John Shaw	...	Cameron Towers
Chris Gauthier	...	Donnie Spencer
Paul Jarrett	...	Ted Renton
Leila Johnson	...	Susanne Brindle
Nicole Oliver	...	Lori Towers
Ellie Harvie	...	Peggy Spencer
Siri Baruc	...	Karen Smith
Sarah Penikett	...	Stacey Peters
Stephanie Penikett	...	Tracey Peters
Matty Finochio	...	Course Marshall
Dave 'Squatch' Ward	...	Big Golfer
Beverley Elliott	...	Wendy Oakley
Aili Storen	...	Wendy's Daughter
Norm Foster	...	Praying Golfer

Storyline

Four old friends reconnect at their 20-year college reunion.

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Plot Keywords:

reunion | old friends | twins | sex with fat woman | golf | 

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Taglines:

A comedy with balls.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2006 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Foursome

Filming Locations:

Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paperback Company Films, The, Rampage Entertainment

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the beginning of the movie it is noted that this is the college reunion of the class of 1985. During the movie the character's mention that they sung the song "18 til I Die" during college and that is when their friendship was cemented and they were bonded together for life. They could not have in fact sung this song when they were in college as it was not released until 1996 by Bryan Adams on the album of the same name.

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Connections

References Desperate Housewives (2004)

User Reviews

Additions Take Away from Film

Norm Foster is Canada's most popular playwright, and The Foursome one of his more popular plays. It's a play that presents a good opportunity for a screen adaptation, but is a challenging play to adapt. The play takes place exclusively at the tee of each of the eighteen holes of a golf course, involves only four characters and consists almost entirely of dialogue. A film using the play as a screenplay would be dull indeed, as the audience expects the film to use its ability to show us different scenes and more complex action to tell the story.

This screenplay fails to translate the play effectively to the screen, and for two main reasons. First, the play is an ensemble work--the merciless macho banter of the golfers touches nerves in all four characters and forces them to justify their lives. Here there is a focus on the character of Rick which skews the balance among the characters. Second, the adapter has added the characters of the golfers' wives and invented subplots and interactions among them, added a gay course marshal, added a chase scene involving golf carts and added an extra 18 holes of golf. None of these additions help the real point of the story which is the exposure of the reality of the golfers' lives (often kept as carefully guarded secrets). While making room for all of this rubbish, the screenwriter has cut away plot point after plot point from the stage play, effectively gutting the characters, especially Ted, Donnie and Cam, and leaving empty caricatures. At the same time the carefully laid foundations in the play have been so eroded that the characters' actions (and especially the denouement) seem arbitrary rather than natural for them. For an example, in the play we hear that Rick gave Donnie a wedgie at the reunion. Instead of showing us this incident, which tells us a lot about Rick and Donnie and their relationship, and which would be effective cinematically, the whole event disappears. Bits of Foster's dialogue float to the surface from time to time but usually missing context and sometimes missing the punchline. An exception is Rick's plan to sell Brazilian Pepper Trees which arrives intact and hilarious.

Considering the weak script, the actors made a reasonably good job of this. I was particularly impressed with Paul Jarrett's Ted (the role Foster himself played in the theatrical debut) and with Nicole Oliver as Cam's wife Lori. Production values were mostly solid throughout. I thought the opening titles, though clever, were a little hard to read.

Generally this was a squandered opportunity to do a really good adaptation of a very good play. A pity.