Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Vulgar, trite comedy filled with drug use and sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
A Few Best Men
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
While on vacation on the island of Tuvalu, Londoner David (Xavier Samuel) met Australian Mia (Laura Brent), immediately fell in love, and decided to get married. Now, David is back in London to tell his best friends the news. They all go to Australia to meet Mia's family -- her politician father, cocaine-addled mother (Olivia Newton-John), and younger sister who pretends to be a lesbian, as well as her father's beloved ram. The night before the wedding, the guys take lots of drugs and alcohol and wake up blacked out with the ram dressed in makeup and lingerie. And that's only the beginning. The wedding itself quickly degenerates into massive intoxication, comedic pratfalls, and a case of mistaken bestiality. Mia begins to question why she chose to get married to David, David begins to question why he has such screwed-up friends, and Mia's father threatens to cancel their marriage altogether. It's up to David and Mia to find a way for their love to go beyond the immediate disaster and remember why they fell for each other in the first place.
Is It Any Good?
A FEW BEST MEN is a substandard combination of The Hangover and Meet the Parents. In pretty much every scene, this movie tries really, really hard to mine laughs out of being crass. And they go to some pretty staggering lengths to make this happen. There's Olivia Newton-John pretending to be out of her mind on cocaine, for instance, and there's one of the lead characters sticking his hand up the backside of a ram to retrieve the drugs the ram ate. But for all these truly insane strivings, none of it is all that funny. Rather, it comes off as trite and predictable. And without much that's relatively normal to counterbalance the craziness, the humor falls flat and quickly grows tiresome.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about deliberately crass and vulgar comedies. Why do you think some people find this humor funny?
How is this film similar to other "buddy movies"? How is it different?
How is the movie similar to other comedies in which weddings or other formal occasions go awry? Why is that such a popular theme?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 9, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : May 5, 2015
- Cast : Olivia Newton-John , Xavier Samuel , Kris Marshall , Rebel Wilson
- Director : Stephan Elliott
- Inclusion Information : Gay Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Studios
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , Animals
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate