This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Wedding Bells
Plot Overview
Five friends
from City Island, New York reunite seventeen years out of high
school to see one of them get hitched. They spend a week fishing,
golfing, schmoozing, playing ball, and practicing band. Four are
Irish-American and one Mexican-American; two are brothers and one their
cousin.
Mr. B (Arthur Nascarella) a denizen
of The Foxy Hunt, a titty bar, explains to a couple of them
how to be a man: “The definition of an adult,”
he says, “is a person that has a job, is married, has kids,
and owns a home.” By this definition Desmond “Dez”
Howard (Matthew Lillard) passes with flying colors. He owns an Irish
bar and at 21 got married. They have two boys—whom he
adores—and they live in a house a couple blocks from Dez's.
He trades off with his wife Tina (Shari Albert) driving the boys to
school before he has to open the bar.
Paulie (Edward Burns) got “lucky” and has been living with his rich girlfriend Sue (Brittany Murphy) these past two years. She is five months pregnant now and they are planning a wedding in a week. He no longer has to commute but works at home on a computer for about an hour a day giving him free time to pursue personal interests. He remodels the baby's nursery. His was a bass-ackward approach to adulthood: house–kid–wife–job.
Cousin Mike Sullivan (Jay Mohr) is
working in his dad's landscaping business; it's the same job he's
had since high school. He doesn't know any nice girls who are interested
in marriage, but he moons over his ex girlfriend Jen (Jessica
Capshaw) who dumped him for his adolescent ways. He lives with his
kindly father who is trying to edge him out into the world.
Paulie's brother Jimbo (Donal Logue)
does a man's work as manager of an office supplies company, supplemented
by odd jobs that he has trouble keeping. He didn't show up for a
landscaping gig as being the best man he was busy with wedding
preparations. His wife Julianna “Jules” (Heather Burns)
wants lots of kids, but it's no go after a year of trying, and the
doctor tells him he's unable to make babies. Bummer!
That leaves Tony “TC” (John Leguizamo) who's short and gay, neither condition likely to change anytime soon.
Ideology
Dez and Tina share fond remembrance of their high school “glory days.” Having gone to the same parochial school advantages their marriage, as might be expressed by author George Cable regarding an engagement announcement: “‘And one thing of the largez' importanz [sic], Mrs. Chezter,’ madame said with sweet enthusiasm, ‘—the two they are of one riligion!’” (310) Theirs is a harmonious alliance as they bring up their children.
It's unclear whether Jimbo and Jules are similarly matched, they went in the same circle but we're not told if they were in the same school. Paulie met Sue on the Staten Island Ferry that carried all religions. Cable hedges their bets:
“I think you're right and to be congratulated.”The whole coterie felt a glad thrill. “Ah, madame,” Beloiseau exclaimed, “you are co'-rec'! But, any'ow, in a caze where the two faith' are con-tra-ry 'tis not for you Protestant' to be distres' ab-out! You, you don' care so much ab-out those myzterie' of bil-ief as about rule' of conduc'. Almoze, I may say, you run those rule' of conduc' into the groun'—and tha'z right! And bis-ide', you 'ave in everything—politic', law, trade, society—so much the upper han'—in the bes' senze—ah, of co'se in the bes' senze!—that the chil'ren of such a case they are pretty sure goin' to be Protestant!” (310–11)
The team knelt and prayed the Lord's Prayer before
the ball game as was their custom. Both Protestants and Catholics, of
course, pray the “Our Father.” Catholics are kneelers more than
are Protestants. The fill-ins joined them but didn't remove their hats.
These five best friends routinely addressed
each other as “cuz” or “bro” whether or not
they were so related. The English word brother is expansive
enough in some contexts to include cousins, as are both brother
and sister in Greek. When the Bible mentions Jesus's brothers
or sisters, the Catholics (and Orthodox) say those are his cousins. The
Protestants are most literal here saying they're Jesus's younger
half-siblings. This has given rise to a difference of opinion regarding the
perpetual virginity of Mary, but this mystery is not pursued further here.
Rules of conduct
found in the prayer are another matter. “Thy will be done”
is established when Paulie marries Sue after knocking her up. He plays
the cards he was dealt, though to be sure he loves her and would have
married her anyway.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is illustrated when Dez bribes his boys with junk food to get them to help their dad unload groceries from the mini van.
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” can be applied to TC's tall & straight pop asking his forgiveness (“Perdóneme”) for rejecting him. Also to TC having childishly stolen a baseball card from Jimbo. It had sentimental value to the latter but only turned out to be worth $40. I suppose that's like in later years gays appropriating marriage as a forty dollar word to describe what is still for them but a domestic partnership lacking the mysteries and traditions of when it occurs with heteros.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In one of the Deleted Scenes, at the bachelorette party, the girls discuss being led into temptation to “go all the way” (before marriage,) which is a sin, but that lesson doesn't show up in the movie proper. TC's homosexual practice led to his dad suggesting therapy as part of the “old school” remedy. David Burns, M.D. has given one example of a workable therapy in his popular 1985 book, Intimate Connections, pp. 239–40, but none is tried in The Groomsmen. Jimbo visits The Foxy Hunt and makes to go off with stripper Crystal (Amy Leonard) until TC intervenes. An example of practicing continence is related in a story in which Sister Dorothy withheld permission for Mikey to exit class for the boys room though he was clearly in distress. Nuns get a bad rep for being cruel to boys, though to be sure, she herself had to practice sexual continence being under vows of chastity. Her advice to Mikey was, “Stop being such a baby.” Homos, if the therapy doesn't work and they aren't cured miraculously, just have to suck it up, too, if they want to avoid sexual sin. Heteros have the option of divinely sanctioned marriage, but they need to be faithful to their spouses.
The wedding is to take place in a church,
but who knows, that may be just to please the parents.
Production Values
“” (2006) was written and directed by Edward Burns. He starred in it as well, with Jay Mohr, Donal Logue, John Leguizamo, Matthew Lillard, and Brittany Murphy. The whole cast did well, especially Mohr & Leguizamo.
MPAA rated it R for pervasive language and brief nudity. The characters are suitably developed, the acting is low key, the cinematography is choice and the music both good and apropos. Runtime is 1 hour 38 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This is a well made movie benefiting from the director being also the writer resulting in primo cohesion. Though it does tread in the well-worn footsteps of many Hollywood buddy flicks, it never drags but frequently changes perspective. This would be a good one to take a date to if you're uncertain about her tastes—good humor and nothing too offensive. I can recommend it also as a reliable standby if you can't decide what to watch on a given evening.
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good Date Movie. Suspense: A few suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture is taken from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Print, memory.
Cable, George W. The Flower of the Chapdelaines. Copyright, 1918, by Charles Scribner's Sons. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1918. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org