We haven't exactly been deprived of stag/bachelor party movies since The Hangover was released and exceeded everyones expectations and it seemed as though we'd a new genre of stag/hen movies. Of course we've had The Hangover sequels, one of which was essentially a carbon copy of the originally, A Few Best Men and even female led films such as Bridesmaids and The Bachelorette. That's all well and good and happens all the time in the industry (we all saw the influx of vampire films/television after Twilight), the only problem is that in my opinion not many of the ones released have actually been very good. I had hope for The Bachelorette but all those characters were so darn unlikeable and I was hoping A Few Best Men would be a really good British Comedy but it just fell flat. In fact the only one that didn't fall flat and outdid my estimations was Bridesmaids.
Bridesmaids was advertised as a female version of The Hangover which is my opinion was the worst thing about the film as a whole. Sure The Hangover was funny but thats all it was, there was no in depth storyline, it was just about men that got slaughtered, then Ken Jeong showed up and hilarity ensued. Bridesmaids was adored by audiences and critics alike because it went beyond the drunken antics of a soon to be bride and her bridesmaid and instead expanded the story and looked into their lives more than The Hangover did. It was funny, had a solid storyline and a stellar cast and deserved better than to be called the female version of The Hangover. Now, I didn't start writing to insult The Hangover, I just simply wanted to discuss The Stag (aka The Bachelor Weekend in the US). You can take a look at the trailer below:
The reason I brought up The Hangover was because I figured this would be another version of it, only this time Irish. There were similarities such as it being set over a stag/bachelor weekend, the character of The Machine who is basically a more realistic version of Zach Galifianakis, and recreational drug use but that's pretty much where the similarities end. I put off watching it for so long because it seemed like it would be Hangover-esque and now that I've finally watched it I regret leaving it so long. It's not and Irish Hangover, I'd say it's more of a male Bridesmaids, but better.
The film follows a group of friends over the course of a weekend which is supposed to be relaxing but interrupted by the Brides brother and then all their plans go array. Granted, it does sound like the synopsis for The Hangover but it's a lot less ridiculous and a lot more funny. One scene that I'd like to highlight is the nude scene which I'm sure many of you have seen pictures of, I even have a friend that has admitted to spending several minutes looking at it. I highlight it not because I want to fetishise the actors but because the situation was hilarious, I'd tell you more but I'd quite like you to go and watch it and see for yourself. Another part I can't not mention was the reference to U2, seeing Irish people argue whether U2 is actually good or not actually gave me a hernia. The comedy in the film is a lot more subtle than American counterparts, there was no Tiger or Mike Tyson but in all honesty I think I laughed more at this film than I did The Hangover.
Sure the film was funny, but it also had a lot of heart. The film could've simply been a drunken comedy but it was a film about bonding and essentially the brothers becoming family. The characters even embrace The Machine to some degree, and they all manage to deal with their problems between one an another and forget about their problems in the outside world. The film also touches upon issues such as the economic downturn and homophobia in a subtle way, and doesn't make it the butt of a joke or take over the whole film. They get seamed into the film as everyday problems which they are, everyone has someone around them that goes through it, they are very real issues. This is why I do think it has surpassed it's American counterparts, it has pushed boundaries that they wouldn't and has made the film much more than just a buddy comedy.
I can't sign off without mentioning the cast, in all honestly I only actually paid attention the the film because of Andrew Scott. I was in awe of him when I watched Sherlock and waited for his big cinematic break. His co-stars in Sherlock had pretty much been working back to back in Hollywood films for the past couple of years so it was about time that he had a lead role in a film! And sure I watched the film because of Andrew Scott but I enjoyed it because of all of the cast. They were all brilliant and the chemistry between them was phenomenal so I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for all of them in the future. All in all, the film was a great watch and I recommend to all!
Live Long and Blog!
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