Interestingly, the stag party film sub-genre doesn’t really seem to have been tapped into by British cinema – perhaps we’re slightly more reticent in this regard, or maybe the likes of Christopher Nolan, Stephen Frears and Mike Leigh don’t really fancy using their formidable talents to film a group of actors in mankinis stumbling from Tiger Tiger to Vodka Revs, trying not to fall into the road. It’s fine. The Americans have cornered this market, and they’re welcome to it. We’ll carry on making the films that win the Oscars.
Nevertheless, there are several films set around stag parties that have done well in recent years, feeding the public’s appetite for outrageous scenes of drunkenness, encounters with strippers and (hopefully) a happy ending for all involved. They might give you ideas if you’re planning a stag party, or they might put you off ever having or going on one again – use them as a manual of sorts to guide you. Let’s start with the quintessential stag party film…
The Hangover
A genuine surprise hit, The Hangover looked for all the world like a standard buddies-go-to-Vegas-and-frat-hilarity-ensues kind of film that would get mixed reviews, be a bit gross and make a lot of money. It did make a lot of money and it was a bit gross, but it got positive reviews and was pretty hilarious for all the right reasons, making stars of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, whose characters spend the film searching Las Vegas for the groom-to-be they lost on his bachelor party the night before, in the process. Unfortunately, the film spawned two exactly-the-same sequels which should be avoided like the plague. As with so many things in life, stick with the original!
Sideways
Sideways is not your average stag party film. Taking place in various locations throughout California wine country, the film follows Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) as they send Jack off into married life – the trouble is, introverted wine lover Miles has a civilised week of wine tasting in mind, while brash actor Jack has his heart set on a last fling and week of debauchery. The film’s screenplay, for which director and writer Alexander Payne won an Oscar, actually helped to drive down the sales of merlot due to Miles absolutely trashing it throughout.
Bachelor Party
One of Tom Hanks’s mid-1980s films, Bachelor Party is a film that does exactly what it says on the tin. Hanks plays Rick Gassko, a party animal who decides to settle down and marry his girlfriend, Debbie – naturally, his friends plan the mother of all bachelor for him. Debbie and her friends, meanwhile, plan their own party and the two groups collide, with Debbie’s ex-boyfriend also plotting to win her back. While it’s mainly funny, Bachelor Party actually gets a little dark in places, with one of Rick’s friends constantly trying to kill himself due to the breakdown of his own marriage, so fast-forward through those bits if you don’t want to be put off getting hitched yourself.
The Stag
A real-life non-American stag film! The Stag stars Andrew Scott (better known as Moriarty in Sherlock) as the best man tasked with organising a gentle hillside camping stag do for his friend. So far, so boring, which means it’s a good thing (for the audience if not the characters) that the bride-to-be forces her fiancé to invite her brother, “The Machine” along for the ride. With a name like that, it’s pretty obvious what kind of stag guest he turns out to be, and things quickly go from fine to bad to terrible as the weekend progresses. Surprisingly funny and endearing in the end, The Stag is a low-budget delight.
Last Vegas
“Like The Hangover, but with OAPs” was probably the line used to pitch this film starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline to Hollywood execs. Last Vegas sees a group of old friends get together in Las Vegas for Michael Douglas’s character’s bachelor party, with all of the obvious jokes and set-pieces revolving around a group of men in their sixties visiting the City of Sin making an appearance. A film with an unexpected amount of heart, Last Vegas is well worth your time, especially if you’re planning a stag party for a man of a certain age – this will show you what not to do!
