ihateut This movie tries to make certain ideas seem totally acceptable or even to be necessary in life, which is totally untrue. I won't go into it all but the one that really seemed to be the most annoying was the movie chunking out the idea that a person HAS to be married. I don't know where they felt like this idea had to be incorporated into it. Absolutely 100% not true!!! And, to carry it even farther, the idea that just because a woman is expecting a baby that it should be mandatory that the couple get married. That is even worse!! I mean, marriage in itself is a horrible mistake but to compound it with having a baby being the chief reason for someone to get married, that is truly HUGE on the mistake gauge. I am sure everyone has heard that "two wrongs don't make a right". Well, DUH!!! No kidding!!! I just found the movie to be very misleading as far as being compared to real life. And I know that "it is just a movie" but it was one HORRIBLE movie in my opinion!! I did find one thing about the movie that I enjoyed but it is not worth the agony of watching it...The Music! That can be found by simply turning on the radio or playing a CD. Classic Rock style. :)

D_Burke This must be said: "The Groomsmen" was a great and highly underrated film. I follow independent cinema moderately closely, and I don't actually remember this film coming out in theaters. I don't see why it wouldn't have, given the cast of the film. The lead actors in this movie are mostly well-respected in the entertainment industry, if they're not A-listers already. So it's surprising to me this film didn't get a wider release than it actually did.I found it on DVD in my local video store. I loved Edward Burns in "The Brothers McMullen", "She's The One", and "Saving Private Ryan", so I thought another movie directed by him would be good. I saw it, and it turns out I was right: I really liked the film a lot. Like "McMullen" especially, the movie revolves around guys who live around Long Island, some who are married, and a few who are single, and their struggle to commit. There are a lot of laughs in the film, but it also has a great amount of heart to it. Burns is great playing the laid-back, funny guy he normally plays in his films. Even better, the guys who played his friends, namely Matthew Lillard, Donald Logue (who actually plays his brother), Jay Mohr, and John Leguizamo, were all better than I thought they would be. All of them probably give the best performances of their career (especially Leguizamo).That being said, here's what the back cover of the DVD says: "The countdown to Paulie's (Edward Burns) wedding . . . reunites Paulie's childhood pals for a week-long raucous bachelor party filled with laughs at every turn. Join in the revelry as this wild bunch relives their glory days with hilarious antics that you'll never forget." The front artwork shows the four friends behind Burns. Burns is smiling, giving Brittany Murphy a piggyback ride in her wedding gown, and wearing a T-shirt that reads "HELP!" in bright red letters. So from this DVD artwork, I thought this film was a frat-house comedy/bachelor party comedy about a guy who wants to go for one final fling before tying the knot. It's unfortunate, too, because that's not at all what the movie is about. Guys who want to see that kind of raunchy, mindless comedy will be sorely disappointed, while other guys who want to see a smart comedy about relationships and camaraderie will pass this movie by in the video store, or even on Netflix. Why do these DVD artwork designers do that? It really ruins the film's credibility in the long run.Fortunately, I picked out the film because I like Edward Burns, and it exceeded my expectations tenfold. The film had its faults, such as some scenes that went on for longer than they should have. But overall, the film serves as an example of how romantic comedies should be. Other directors who work with higher budget films that star Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts should take a hint from Burns. He knows how to make a much better film on a much lower budget.

Simon Beer Do not watch this if you value your free time. First things first, despite the light hearted looking box this movie is not funny. The box may give the appearance of the next instalment of American Pie but trust me that if you want that kind of action go elsewhere.Still interested in it as a drama, shame on you. The Groomsmen wallows around in the sad tales of the lives of 5 mid thirties men. The problem is that whilst the film tries to give an insight into the relationship issues experienced by the five men, it doesn't do so with any purpose or direction.The film feels like it desperately needs some meat in it. The fact that it tries to deal with all five men at once does not help. In my case no problems were built on enough for me to care whether they were resolved or not. Also of note is that none of the issues seem to reach critical mass. At the end of the film they all seem to be resolved with minimal fuss and effort. The feeling I was left with was a case of "What was the point".The film is further dragged down by some questionable performances. Brittany Murphy spends the entire film standing with one hand under her fake belly. I have never met a pregnant person who needs to hold the belly at all times so it looked more like she was preventing the prosthetic from slipping. Ed Burns character just seems wooden with no passion or emotion. The fat guys wife is just plain irritating.As a final wrap up I would say that the story line and acting was more suited to a soap opera than a film. I really hope that me wasting more of my life writing this helps others not to waste their time watching this drivel.

dhunsber Full disclosure, I loved every one of the films Ed Burns has written/directed. I'm not blind to the fact that Burns and I are about the same age and from the same part of the country. My friends and I are in closer tune with his themes, etc. But there is something bigger going on here:1. Burns ability to make such great films on such small budgets, is like the team in baseball with the lowest payroll making the playoffs. He does more with less. I couldn't believe that this one was 3 million which I found out after watching. 2. He gets more out of actors than most directors. The Groomsmen is an example of that. A lot may have to do with the long shots of scenes that are amazing. Actors can actually act and he lets them be "the talent" as much as he is as w/d. 3. Funny and dramatic and deep and loving and special. All his films have this, but Groomsman is "extra" all of these things. In this already special body of work Burns has, Groomsman stands out. I loved them all, but this one is special. See it right away. One other thing.... When the film ended the first thing I thought was that Donal Logue should win an Oscar for his performance in this film. I was happy when watching the director's commentary that Burns raved about his acting. Everyone in The Groomsman was great, but he was superb.