The Groomsmen

Directed by Edward Burns, The Groomsmen follows Burns’ Paulie as he prepares for his upcoming nuptials (to Brittany Murphy’s Sue) by congregating with the title individuals (including Donal Logue’s Jimbo, Matthew Lillard’s Dez, and John Leguizamo’s T.C.). Filmmaker Burns, armed with his own screenplay, delivers an affable endeavor that benefits significantly from the top-tier efforts of its various performers, and there’s little doubt that the actors’ charismatic, engaging work goes a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s few bumps and lulls – with Burns’ predictably stellar turn certainly matched by his uniformly talented costars. (Lillard is, in particular, incredibly good here, with his character’s speech about parenthood ultimately representing a high-water-mark for the picture.) And while Burns’ lackadaisical tendencies prevent the movie from becoming as consistently enthralling as one might’ve hoped (and it doesn’t help that the film’s female figures are thin, to say the least), The Groomsmen generally comes off as a typically genial Burns effort that admittedly boasts several standout interludes and memorable encounters.

*** out of ****