A Few Best Men Reviews

Our Review

A few laughs short of a Hangover

Adam Bub, MovieFix

Four hazard-prone mates, a gunshot wedding, a random animal and illicit substances: no, it's not The Hangover, it's the Australian equivalent A Few Best Men. Treading the same line of gross-out boys-gone-wild humour, this raucous comedy tries hard, but the sense of deja vu is all too obvious.

Stephan Elliott's comedy credentials from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Easy Virtue make him the right director for this material, but those films had a lot more heart and soul, and less sheep poo and gimp masks.

British backpacker David (Xavier Samuel) drags his three best mates, pack-leader Graham (Kris Marshall), neurotic Graham (Kevin Bishop) and drunk-and-depressed Luke (Tim Draxl), from rainy London to the sweeping Blue Mountains out of Sydney for his wedding to Australian lass Mia (Laura Brent).

At the home of Mia's waspy parents Jim (Jonathan Biggins) and Barbara (Olivia Newton-John), and deadpan sister Daphne (an underused Rebel Wilson), the wedding quickly becomes a domino effect of epic mishaps involving bodily fluids, injuries and a gender-bending ram named Ramsey (of course).

A Few Best Men is one of those films that reveals all of its best jokes in the trailer. If you haven't watched it, you might laugh a bit harder, but that doesn't take away from the film's leaden signposting of every gag about 30 minutes before it takes place. Some gags are genuinely hilarious, but the cringe-worthy quotient really upsets the balance.

It's a shame because the performances are mostly excellent. Samuel proves he's leading man material, and his British accent never falters. The four male leads have snappy chemistry, while Olivia Newton-John finally gets the role we've been dying to see her in for years. Her mum-gone-wild is like Sandy at the end of Grease if she'd discovered coke while flying up into the clouds with John Travolta.

The weakest link is Brent, who overacts so hard we really can't invest anything in her relationship with Samuel.

Australia needs more envelope-pushing comedies, but A Few Best Men doesn't deliver.

Your Reviews

Jim

Very funny entertainment, NOT deep and meaningful.

Aardvark

I could not leave the cinema fast enough. I spent half the film with my head in my hands contemplating why I spent $14 to go see this. Avoid at all costs.

Nicole B

I thought this movie was hilarious!!! I love these types of movies they just really give you a laugh and there alot of fun to watch with your mates! Great movie!!! :)

Lanith Pieris

movie is super funny gotta see!!! i dont know whats the big ass whoop about not liking it. really funny movie for everyone enjoys a laugh

David

Just bad.

Ned

A top laugh, go see it, the critics got it wrong,a very funny movie.

Naomi G

While it won't win a lot of awards, it was a great couple of hours!!!

Felicia

I thought it was very funny, great movie.

stan

Mate,the best movie i have seen for a while.Go out have a meal,followed by an ale and then climb into a chair to watch this one.

chris

aussie movies are the worst to see and although this movie is predictable from start to finish it was a top movie!...laughed through the entire movie. need more good aussie comedies like this!

George Makofski

A good laugh out loud comedy. It may not be the greatest film ever made, but it is very funny in places, Olivia Newton-John is terrific. It does not always have to be intellectual. Cringeing is for kids. Get out and enjoy this one. I think I will go back again as a mood enhancer.

Regular

The worst movie in recent times! Poor acting made a very average movie painful. Skip it !

peter newman

a poor copy of wedding crashers and the hangover,keep your money for a better movie

DJB

Newton-John is an embarrassment, as is this film. Is this the best Asutralia could come up with on its national day? Unoriginal, unfunny and unwatchable.

Kezza

Saw this preview last night and I'm still chuckling. It was the funniest send-up of what could go wrong at a wedding. It was very comical going from the sublime to the ridiculous that had everyone in the theatre laughing out loud. A great Aussie take on Four Weddings & A Funeral. Well done to the Director & film-makers. So great to see our "Aussie" humour back on the Big Screen.

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