The Groomsmen: Movie Review

The groomsmen actually surprised me.  I admit I wasn't expecting a lot, but I was hoping for a fun movie.  It was fun.  It was funny.  It had meaning.  And it taught.  What more could you hope for?  Good acting? Well, it had that, too.

This is a story of 5 friends that come back together for a wedding.  Paulie (Ed Burns) is getting married to his pregnant girlfriend.  He has some doubts on his ability to be a good husband AND a good dad.  It seems to be a lot to handle at once.  While he is getting a handle on this, hopefully before the wedding, his other groomsmen are trying to deal with their own issues.

His older brother, Jimbo (played by Donal Logue) is falling apart.  He has lost a second job in 10 months.  He is distancing himself from his wife and shuffling off his anxiety and anger on his friends.  He has received some bad news that may drive an unreconcilable wedge into his marriage.  Because of this, he is not supportive of Paulie's wedding.  It comes to a point where Paulie wants nothing to do with Jimbo and revokes his role as best man.

Dez has been married for years and is set on getting this group back into their old glory days band.  With all of the problems, no one else is as excited.  Dez is the more stable of the group, but that may be because he has been married and a father, and none of the others have.

Cousin Mike (played by Jay Mohr) is and always has been quite the screw-up.  He is living with his Dad, stuck in the same job he has had since high school, and is not somewhat stalking his ex-girlfriend who wants nothing to do with him.  His simplistic role is great and allows you to dislike him and yet feel drawn to his problems at the same time.  He has had an 8 year grudge on his old best friend TC, who has been gone for this whole time.

TC returns for the wedding and is trying to make amends for stealing one of Mike's prize possessions, a rookie baseball card.  TC is struggling to forgive when he finally finds out why TC would do this to him and then run out on all of them 8 years ago.  TC explains to the group one by one his own issues and how he has come to accept them and is actually happy.  TC is played by Jon Leguizamo, who does an excellent job.

The wives all have minor but emotional roles.  This movie is a drama, an indie, a comedy, and life enabling.  You are drawn in to each of the characters, flaws and all.  If you don't leave the movie with a better understanding of yourself and others, you've missed something.  A.