THE GROOMSMEN Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
Bauer Martinez Entertainment
Grade: C+
Directed by: Edward Burns
Written by: Edward Burns
Cast: Alan Latham, Walter Josten, Karinne Martinez, Edward
Burns, Margot Bridger, Aaron Lubin, Philippe Martinez
Screened at: Broadway, NYC, 6/5/06
Opens: July 14, 2006 You don’t have to study Freud to know that adolescence–that hormone-crazed confusing time of life between the ages of 15 and 21–is the period in which young men and young women are poised between their lives as children and their upcoming lives as adults. In some cases, this development is arrested, as people well into the thirties and even their forties and above are still acting as baffled and nutty as teens; at once doubting their worth, living almost completely by their emotions, and wondering whether a gnawing pain will ever cease. This is the time covered by Edward Burns, who during his thirty-eight years has carved a place as actor, director, writer and producer. As in “The Brothers McMullen,” he situates his comedy-dramas in the ‘burbs, not unusual for a guy who was brought up in the leafy area of Woodside, Queens. He makes his neighborhoods look appealing, since after all people who live in Manhattan or Chicago or other urban centers lack the spaciousness of land and housing, where cars can be parked just moments from the back door and where you can drive about with virtually no traffic save for little tykes on tricycles and six-foot teens shooting baskets for a hour or so when they come home from school. “The Groomsmen” can be taking place somewhere on Long Island, though a clue near the conclusion makes us figure that the thirty-somethings live in Staten Island (it was filmed in City Island, the Bronx, and on a suburban-type stretch of land in Brooklyn). Life is not as stable as the newly-mown lawns and pruned bushes would indicate, as a group of buddies get ready to attend the wedding of one of their own. Paulie (Edward Burns) is planning to marry his 5-months’ pregnant girlfriend (Brittany Murphy), but his inattention to his bride-to-be makes her think that he’s having second thoughts, or perhaps that he feels under the gun for the unplanned pregnancy. His brother, Jimbo (Donal Logue) has been in such temper that Paulie is thinking of finding another groomsman to be best man. During the planning, an old friend T.C. (John Leguizamo), returns to the fold after a mysterious 8-year absence and lands quickly into a fight with Mike (Jay Mohr), who accuses him of stealing a presumably valuable baseball card. The women are all near perfect, but are regularly frustrated by the child-like antics of their main men. Each of the characters has a secret reason for acting belligerent. When we discover their inner selves, we may sympathize with them while at the same time we feel bad for their significant others. Ah, but do we really sympathize? The reason for T.C.’s absence is ludicrous. He disappears for eight years from this outwardly stable community for reasons that seem oddly dated in this 21st century. Jimbo’s inattentions to his wife, including drunk binges and trips to the local strip bar are covers for his self-disgust. He keeps a secret from his wife for far too long, while Mike, who lives with his dad despite his thirty-odd years and his keeping a job he had since high school, cannot take “no” for an answer. He stalks his ex-girlfriend so persistently that her tall, powerful brother takes physical action to put an end to the harassment. Though “The Groomsmen” is an indie, the feel-good ending is as contrived as any Hollywood pic could be. What’s worse is that it’s difficult to care whether any of these losers resolve their problems. The one reasonably mature pal (Matthew Lillard), defines adulthood as having a wife, a home, and kids (an entirely debatable presumption), the whole coterie are Johnny-one-notes, caricatures standing in for three-dimensional people. While they may be believable insofar as there are people their age who carry on like them, they’re simply too long in tooth and immature to cheer when their problems all resolve. Temporarily, you can bet. One can’t be blamed for missing the delightful characters and compelling incidents of Ed Burns’s debut film, “The Brothers McMullen.” Rated R. 98 minutes © 2006 by Harvey Karten
harveycritic@cs.com Member: NY Film Critics Online | 
