DVD Review: Best Man Down

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Stop casting adults as teenagers. Just stop.

I know, the older I get, the more cynical I get about adults playing teenagers. It's one of the oldest things in movies, but as it becomes more and more obvious to me, this film had absolutely no reason to go that route. But I digress, let me get to the plot first..

Scott (Justin Long) and Kristin (Jess Weixler) have just been married, and during their wedding, Scott's oldest friend, Lumpy (Tyler Labine) drinks way too much and dies. Kristin is upset because she's a total bitch that doesn't understand why her husband wants to ditch their honeymoon to BURY HIS DEAD FRIEND. Lumpy doesn't have a lot of other friends or family, so when they are going through his phone to notify his loved ones, they see 'Ramsey Anderson' (Addison Timlin) and go on a trip 5 hours away to find her. Well, turns out she's 15 and they are about to learn a few things about Lumpy that they didn't previously know.

I probably made that last line sound really bad. Don't worry, Lumpy's not a huge perv or anything, but if he was, I could see why they would cast a 20 year old to play a 15 year old. But there's absolutely nothing that warrants older casting here. When Ramsey is first introduced, I thought she was in college or something. She LOOKS 20. Then they casually mention she's 15. Really? You couldn't get an actual teenager to convincingly play ANOTHER TEENAGER? The whole thing ended up being so distracting. 

The movie had good heart, and good intentions, but the stupid casting and the fact that Kristin is pretty insufferable really stop this film from being good. Instead, it's just there. 

Recommended: No

Grade: C-

Memorable Quote: "I have so many questions, but I feel like it's best if we just never mention this again." - Scott (Justin Long)

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 5, 2014 at 4:40 AM

    First time that really bothered me, casting adults as teenagers, was when HIMYM did it in later seasons. So disturbing. I totally agree, too, and I'll trust your opinion and will not watch this - "it's just there" has to be one of the worst things that can be in a film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 5, 2014 at 8:20 AM

      It's so distracting, especially when the people playing teens are the same age as you.

      Delete

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