The Stag (AKA The Bachelor Weekend)

Dir: John Butler

2013

**

John Butler's The Stag started off fairly well. The groomsmen where all introduced and were refreshingly believable as real people, rather than having the exaggerated characteristics as you'd expect from a typical stag weekend style comedy. The phrase 'metrosexual' was touted early on, it's not a term I personally recognize but I got it, everyone has a word for what these guys are, they do exist in large numbers and it is nice to see them properly represented for a change. The groomsmen in question decide to go on a weekend walk for their stag do (which made me question whether my own stag was also a little square) but all is disrupted by the inclusion of the bride-to-be's Brother, known only as The Machine. The Machine is brash, in your face and straight to the point. The gentle group of men fear the weekend will be spoiled by a forced show of masculinity but as the weekend goes on, it seems that The Machine is actually quite a positive influence. Thing inevitably go wrong, there is a little bit of drinking, some drug taking (although not excessive) and nudity is involved but I'm glad to report no sheep, inflatable or real, where featured. It's an interested angle of a well told story but things suddenly take a turn for the worst when the men start singing. Goodness knows I like a musical and this is a distinctly proud Irish film which is to its credit but the first song goes on for an uncomfortable length of time and did nothing for the story. The film got a little predictable from there on and is seemed whether the budget was suddenly cut and time had run out as the quality took a nose dive. The wedding scene itself is actually painful to watch as the handful of extras are clambering over each other to make it look like there is a full room, even though it's quite clear that there only around ten people in attendance. Then comes another song, a hundred times worse than the one that came before that addresses each and every Irishman to forget his troubles, remember where he's from and to sing a bit of U2. It's an awful and abrupt end to a film that stated off really well. The performances are all pretty good too and I feel the cast, as well as the audience, were a little cheated by the end result.