A Few Best Men

{{Infobox film

| name = A Few Best Men

| image = AFewBestMen2011Poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Australian release poster

| director = Stephan Elliott

| writer = Dean Craig

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Antonia Barnard
Gary Hamilton
Laurence Malkin
Share Stallings}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

| cinematography = Stephen F. Windon

| editing = Sue Blainey

| music = Guy Gross

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

Quickfire Films
Screen Australia
Screen NSW}}

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

Icon Film Distribution {{small|(Australia)}}
Buena Vista International {{small|(United Kingdom)}}}}

| released = {{Film date|df=y|2011|10|14|MVFF|2012|01|26|Australia|2012|08|31|United Kingdom}}

| runtime = 96 minutes{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/CFF285846/ | title=A FEW BEST MEN (15) | work=British Board of Film Classification | date=2012-01-25 | accessdate=2012-11-06}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

Australia
United Kingdom}}

| language = English

| budget = A$14 million

| gross = $15.5 million{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&wk=2012W32&id=_fAFEWBESTMEN01|title=A Few Best Men (2012)|work=boxofficemojo.com}}

}}

A Few Best Men is a 2011 comedy film written by Dean Craig and directed by Stephan Elliott. The film stars Xavier Samuel as a young groom heading to the Australian Blue Mountains with his three best men for his wedding. A sequel, A Few Less Men, was released in 2017.

Plot

When David Locking proposes to his girlfriend Mia Ramme a week after they meet in Tuvalu, he rounds up his three best friends to attend his wedding in Australia as best men; however, all hell breaks loose when the three of them accidentally steal drugs, are chased by a mobster, and get the father-in-law's sheep stoned.

Cast

Xavier Samuel as David Locking
Kris Marshall as Tom
Kevin Bishop as Graham
Rebel Wilson as Daphne Ramme
Olivia Newton-John as Barbara Ramme
Laura Brent as Mia Ramme
Jonathan Biggins as Jim Ramme
Tim Draxl as Luke
Steve Le Marquand as Ray
Elizabeth Debicki as Maureen
Phillip Scott as Celebrant Robin Arthur

Music

Universal Music Australia released A Few Best Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Remixes on 20 January 2012. The film soundtrack is sung primarily by Olivia Newton-John.

Release

A Few Best Men premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Rafael, California on 14 October 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.mvff.com/special-premiere/ |title=The Mill Valley Film Festival (October 6-16-, 2011) - Special Premiere |author=Mill Valley Film Festival |author-link=Mill Valley Film Festival |publisher=California Film Institute |date=24 September 2011 |accessdate=24 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924044135/http://www.mvff.com/special-premiere/ |archive-date=24 September 2011 }} The film was released in Australia on 26 January 2012, and in the United Kingdom on 31 August 2012.

=Critical reception=

A Few Best Men was met with negative reviews, earning an approval rating of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 39 reviews, with an average score of 3.6/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_few_best_men|title=A Few Best Men (2011)|accessdate=15 June 2021|via=rottentomatoes.com}}

Fiona Williams of SBS noted that the film was as "funny as a funeral", awarding one star out of five, commenting that "Like a bad wedding reception, A Few Best Men is overlong by at least an hour, and the flimsy plot groans under its own weight."{{cite news | title=A Few best Men (review) | work=SBS | url= http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/12935/A-Few-Best-Men |first=Fiona |last=Williams | accessdate=14 February 2013}}

Despite poor reviews, A Few Best Men was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score.