Cal and Brook did not exactly meet-cute. He was part of the team of special operators hired to rescue her from terrorist kidnappers. They got her safely back home, but at the cost of several comrades. Cal had not seen Bradley or Anders since the team broke up, but they both come to show their support during the wedding. Bradley even agrees to be the best man. As a result, he finds himself paired up with Brook’s somewhat forward sister and maid-of-honor, Hailey, which he does not mind at all. That gives Bradley an extra added motivation to fight Axel’s gang of mercenaries, when they start rounding up the bride’s family.
So, yes, this is basically Die Hard in a resort, during a wedding, but why shouldn’t it be? Especially since Dolph Lundgren plays Anders. It is a good setting, with at least a handful of interesting characters. Weirdly, that does not include any of the villains, who are all quite cardboard and forgettable.
However, Lundgren does a nice job as Anders, projecting a heaviness reflective of his character’s grizzled maturity and checkered history. Likewise, as Hailey, Scout Taylor-Compton injects more energy and attitude than viewers usually find in formulaic Die Hard rip-offs. Luke Wilson largely squanders his “action debut” as Cal, which is a shame, since it is impossible to resist comparing The Best Man to his brother Owen’s comedy hit, Wedding Crashers. However, Chris Mullinax makes quite a memorably drunken mess as Chuck, the father of the bride.
Frankly, The Best Man might have transcended its VODness if more on-screen talent had embraced its conventions and possibilities. Oh well, it is still highly watchable as a low-stress couch-streaming kind of way. Mostly recommended for Lundgren fans, The Best Man opens this Friday (4/21) in New York, at the Cinema Village.
