Not your average groom, Fionán (Hugh O’Conor) has little interest in a bachelor party: he would much rather stay at home and make seating plans with his fiancée Ruth (Amy Huberman), but when his micromanagement of the wedding begins to get out of hand, Ruth decides that he needs a nudge in the right direction.
Enlisting the help of best man Davin, a stag weekend is planned: nothing crazy, just five friends on a simple camping trip in the Irish countryside. That is, until Ruth insists that her brother (nicknamed ‘The Machine’) is invited along too. While Davin tries his utmost to dissuade the notorious sibling, there’s simply no way The Machine is going miss out on a stag party, and what’s more, he’s determined to make this a trip to remember!
Unlike some recent American films based on the same loose premise, John Butler’s hilarious debut feature draws from a deeper well, sprinkling moments of glorious slapstick over a well-constructed foundation of real-life drama. The characters here all have hidden depths and this is as much a voyage of self discovery as a madcap comedy caper. The Stag boasts splendid performances all round from an ensemble cast of home-grown talent and, while The Machine (played by Moone Boy’s Peter McDonald) provides most of the intense belly laughs, Andrew Scott’s performance as Davin yields some of the film’s more tender and emotional moments.
David Desmond
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
All ticket holders will be invited to attend a gala reception after the screening.
