"Best Men" probably looked better as a film project when all the people behind it were discussing how to bring it to the screen at a meeting at the Polo Lounge, perhaps. Having admired Tamra Davis films before, most notably, "Guncrazy", we decided to take a look. A sad mistake. This is a movie that has taken its ideas from other, better made films. The result is a mess.The film doesn't work as a black comedy. We don't believe for a moment there are people like this anywhere, but obviously, it seems to be the case. The talents of some of the actors in "Best Men" are totally wasted by a screen play that is as phony as a three dollar bill. The idea of watching the charismatic Drew Barrymore goes out the window because she is only seen in a couple of scenes.The DVD should be a good present to give for Christmas to all those people on your s*#t list. It certainly would make a statement!

BEST MEN Aspect ratio: 2.39:1Sound format: Dolby DigitalTamra Davis' OK comedy-drama toplines Sean Patrick Flanery (POWDER) as a Shakespeare-spouting bank robber whose latest heist goes spectacularly awry when a group of his closest friends (Dean Cain, Luke Wilson, Andy Dick and Mitchell Whitfield) stumble into the very same bank whilst on their way to Wilson's wedding, obliging them to join forces with Flanery and take staff and customers hostage as the building is besieged by trigger-happy cops. Raymond J. Barry is the hard-nosed FBI agent who takes charge of the situation from sheriff Fred Ward (playing Flanery's estranged father!), employing heavy-handed methods which ultimately threaten the lives of everyone in the immediate area.Narrative parallels with DOG DAY AFTERNOON are acknowledged in the dialogue (there's also a hint of THELMA & LOUISE, and a significant dollop of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID), but Davis and her scriptwriters (Art Edler Brown and Tracy Fraim) forego heavy drama for a light-hearted examination of friendship under duress, at least until the climactic showdown, when events take a slightly darker turn. Nicely played by an experienced cast, the movie takes time to establish a roster of likable characters, particularly Cain as an ex-Green Beret whose dreams of a military career were shattered when the Army discharged him for being gay, and Brad Dourif as one of the hostages, a fiercely loyal Vietnam vet whose own Army service ended when he dared to question his superiors' ethics. Drew Barrymore gets lost in the mix as Wilson's bride-to-be, left standing at the altar following his involvement in the heist, but Flanery excels as the benevolent bank robber who steals from the rich and distributes his gains amongst local orphanages; his recitals from "Hamlet" are a highlight of the picture.

'Hamlet' has robbed several banks. He wears a ski mask and quotes Shakespeare, and he gives part of his money to worthy causes, making him a 'Robin Hood' as well. His next target: Independence, population 9,998. And this time he has 'merry men'.Jesse is getting out of prison on the day he is supposed to marry Hope. He and four friends who meet him are all wearing tuxedos. Billy, the son of Independence's sheriff, tells them to go on to the church because he has to stop by the bank and get some money. The robber takes hostages, and eventually the FBI shows up, led by Agent Hoover ('no relation'), who wants things done his way, doesn't care who he hurts, and has no consideration for Sheriff Phillips, who resents the FBI's intrusion into his town.The situation is not as dangerous as it sounds, since the robbers are not only bumbling idiots but also quite friendly, considering they are holding guns on people. But that doesn't matter: eventually what started as a silly farce turns quite serious and violent. Funny moments still happen, but the second half of the movie has a different tone. At the end, an exciting chase involving a bus, a helicopter and beautiful mountain scenery make things a little more exciting.One performance stands out from the rest: Brad Dourif as a 'disgruntled Vietnam veteran' who has a screw loose and knows how to help the robbers. Dean Cain also does a pretty good job--tough, serious but occasionally showing traces of the Clark Kent personality. The former green beret has some serious moments with the other vet, discussing how the army mistreated them both, one of two ways the movie is given substance. Also, Billy, who has had a falling out with his father, gets a chance to make things right, though I won't say whether he succeeds. The Hamlet, whose identity I won't reveal, is more Jim Varney than Laurence Olivier, though both were Shakespearean trained. Mitchell Whitfield shows a take-charge attitude as a Jewish lawyer who has his own solution to the robbers' problem.It was good to start with, it went downhill, but it recovered.POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW:Hope arrived at the bank very angry, believing Jesse was involved (I won't say whether he was). But negotiations resulted in the couple getting a priest to come perform the ceremony. This was funny because the priest announced the bank was 'the house of God' and that because God was present, guns should be put down.The chase scene included an escape by some of the persons inside through the roof of the bus into the helicopter. Great stunt work. The bus later wrecked and rolled over and over.DEFINITE SPOILER:The priest had a gun in his Bible and the ceremony was never performed. This was one place where the movie got particularly violent, though it was funny in a couple of ways: one character's reaction to being shot, and the Jewish lawyer's pulling a gun on the 'priest'--he had less reason to respect the man, after all.

This movie tells us an interesting, unusual, and uneven tale of angst, love, disaffection, and friendship. The groom, and four guys in the wedding party, are on their way to the wedding when one of them (who turns out to be the son of the town sheriff) decides to rob a bank, and all of them get involved. It is hard to imagine a more bizarre start to a story. The screenplay could have been a lot better; the characters could have been a lot better developed; the story could have been a lot more realistic. But in spite of all that, each time I tried to turn it off, something happened that kept me going, all the way to the end! There's a lot of movies that can't manage that trick. I wouldn't spend a lot of money to see it, but on the other hand, if it turns up on cable, and you want a change of pace, it's definitely worth a try. It might just hit you the right way.