Directed by:
Edward BurnsScreenplay:
Edward BurnsCinematography:
William RexerComposer:
P.T. WalkleyCast:
Edward Burns, Heather Burns, John Leguizamo, Matthew Lillard, Donal Logue, Jay Mohr, Brittany Murphy, Jessica Capshaw, Arthur J. Nascarella, Jamie Tirelli (more)Plots(1)
Written, directed by, and starring Burns, the film takes place in the days leading up to the wedding of Long Island-born Paulie (Burns). Joining Paulie for a week of alcohol-soaked bonding prior to the big day are his older brother Jimbo (Donal Logue), local buddy Des (Matthew Lillard), Cousin Mike (Jay Mohr), and long-absent childhood friend T.C. (John Leguizamo). While Paulie deals with a classic case of cold feet in anticipation of marrying his pregnant fiancé (Brittany Murphy), his groomsmen are inspired to deal with demons of their own. T.C.'s arrival, along with the pressures of seeing a close friend settle down, prompts much self-examination as old bonds are tested and new truths revealed. While the simple story here is pretty familiar territory, things are kept fresh thanks to an authentic sense of location and stellar performances by Jay Mohr as the perpetually childlike Mike (who at age 33, still lives at home with his father), and by Matthew Lillard as family guy Des, the one character in the film who seems to have come to grips with his own adulthood. Through extensive conversation over drinks, and physical squabbles at the softball diamond, these five friends grapple with one question: what makes a man a man? Pondering the question of why males nowadays put off the so-called marks of adulthood that their fathers achieved straight out of high school, THE GROOMSMEN offers more than one answer. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Edward Burns
USA
Best movies:
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Holiday (2006)
Newlyweds (2011)
Heather Burns
USA
Best movies:
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
You've Got Mail (1998)
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012)
John Leguizamo
Colombia
Best movies:
Carlito's Way (1993)
Ice Age (2002)
When They See Us (2019) (series)
Matthew Lillard
USA
Best movies:
Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010)
Wicker Park (2004)
Without Limits (1998)
Donal Logue
Canada
Best movies:
The X-Files – File 2: Tooms (1995) (video compilation)
Zodiac (2007)
Little Women (1994)
Jay Mohr
USA
Best movies:
Pay It Forward (2000)
Air (2023)
Street Kings (2008)
Brittany Murphy
USA
Best movies:
Sin City (2005)
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (video compilation)
Jessica Capshaw
USA
Best movies:
Into the West (2005) (series)
Minority Report (2002)
Denial (1998)
Arthur J. Nascarella
USA
Best movies:
Enemy of the State (1998)
Happiness (1998)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Jamie Tirelli
USA
Best movies:
Carlito's Way (1993)
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)
Marathon Man (1976)
Julie McNiven
USA
Best movies:
Across the Universe (2007)
The Groomsmen (2006)
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)
Marion McCorry
USA
Best movies:
Signs (2002)
The Door in the Floor (2004)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
John F. O'Donohue
Best movies:
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Columbo (1971) (series)
The Family Man (2000)
Shari Albert
USA
Best movies:
The Groomsmen (2006)
Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1998)
No Looking Back (1998)
Anna Elizabeth Kendrick
Best movies:
The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)
What Happens in Vegas (2008)
Brooklyn Rules (2007)