Traverse City Film Festival: "The Bachelor Weekend"

By Krysta Amber Loftis on July 30, 2014

Image via http://www.ferdiamurphy.com

The Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) in Traverse City, Michigan, kicked off this week with a wide variety of films from across the world, fresh live music, film workshops, and filmmaker discussion panels.

The festival lasts July 29 to August 3 and premiers over 100 movies. This year’s festival opened with an array of films, including an Irish comedy directed by John Butler.

“The Bachelor Weekend” puts a new spin on the typical boys weekend with a mixture of comedy and emotional bonding between a group of friends.

Movies about out of control parties took off after the overwhelming financial success of “The Hangover.” Movies like “Bridesmaids” (“The Hangover” from a woman’s point of view) and “21 and Over” (“The Hangover” during college) topped the charts for weeks in the United States.

What makes “The Bachelor Weekend”–originally titled “The Stag” in Ireland–work is that it uniquely dismantles the traditional bachelor party idea with odd characters and even odder situations.

“The Bachelor Weekend” sets itself apart from the get-go: the bride-to-be Ruth (Amy Huberman) begs the best man Davin (Andrew Scott) to take her fiancé Fionnan (Hugh O’Conor) on a weekend outing before his obsessive fussing over the wedding leads to problems.

Davin agrees, despite neither he nor Fionnan nor any of their friends are the type to spend a weekend in the mountains.

The boys head out into the Irish countryside to camp and reconnect with nature. What should have been a quiet and relaxing weekend turns to complete madness when Ruth’s brother The Machine (Peter McDonald, the film’s co-screenwriter) shows up. Despite their attempts to avoid the man, The Machine steps in and all hell breaks loose.

What is particularly great about The Machine is that he is able to disrupt the action in ways that cause legitimate conflict, all while giving the characters a chance to open up and break out of their shells.

He steps in as this complete alpha-male and sends the other men into a craze. The gentle fiancé and his best man end up in a naked fist fight, things start on fire and everyone’s patience is thoroughly tested.

As the bachelor party continues, the men squabble and bicker against the ancient Irish backdrop.

The cosmology of the group is far from anything seen in other popular films. Among the group is a gay couple (The Kevins – who cannot attend the wedding together if they want the father of the groom to show up), a character in a severe financial struggle (which is more heartbreaking than funny), and two men that love the same woman.

Image via http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

At times, the film takes cartoonish turns, but for the most part it levels between comedy and heartfelt.

An amazing part of the comedy is how serious the movie actually is. Director John Butler seems to encourage the cast to treat every odd situation and petty fight with a genuine seriousness that sets viewers off.

O’Connor and McDonald commit to the roles amazingly as complete opposites. The only thing the two characters have in common is Ruth, who they both deeply care for. The real breakout of the film ends up to be Scott, who displays a softer side that is equal parts funny and emotional.

“The Bachelor Weekend” delivers a type of comedy that is relatable and emotional, allowing viewers to freely connect with the troubles faced by the characters.

It is refreshing to witness the sweet and emotional turns of the film as characters change and develop. It turns out a great feel-good vibe while giving viewers a big laugh from the male bonding and absolute chaos. [B+]

Stay with Uloop for more updates and reviews from this years TCFF.

Links to other articles about TCFF:

1) Traverse City Film Festival to Connect Audiences Around the World with Screening of “1971.”

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