Customer Reviews

The Big Announcement

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film is low budget and is obviously the work of people with little feature length production experience, but the Character development is very strong. The story line and plot are solid. The story does not waver or get lost as you might extpect from a low budget film like this. Very competent work from that perspective. Also, It is very funny. And I'm not easily amused. Some really classic stuff. Don't let this movie pass you by.

I enjoyed the parts by the actor Ned Kletz. He really is a professional! My sides hurt after I got through the driving scene. Sandles really are a fashion fauxpah...

- Critical

Hilarious look in the mirror for everyone who has played the dating/engagement game. I could really identify with the characters. Extras were very enlightening and entertaining

I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw this video. I never thought it could be done. Yet, the results are on the screen. A witty, urbane piece of work, that once again proves a group of talented and motivated people can do practically anything, no matter what the budget.

There are lots of laughs in "The Big Announcement," something that I haven't found in recent big-budget productions. This small-scale effort is original, clever, and honest about relationships. Writer-Director Shrewsbury has a keen ear for how couples really relate to one another.

The film is character-driven...something I sorely miss from the product that is out today.

I thought it was going to be a chick flick but turned out to be a bit of both... a chick & a guy flick giving good views of the minds of both. Entertaining & funny! I liked the "Extras" dvd that had the Writers & Director talking about how they made the film & I was impressed with how it turned out given the low budget it was made on... But then again, I'm tired of seeing huge budget movies with no story. This was a refreshing change.

First time filmmaker, Charles Shrewsbury, has produced a highly enjoyable film, full of more wit, honesty and charm than many first-run movies I've seen. The fun begins when Bill and Laura decide to announce their engagement on a weekend getaway with two other couples. Bill's second thoughts have Mr. Shrewsbury and co-writer, Todd Hagans, moving the story forward using humor and a keen sense of the differences between the sexes. And, although the actors are not household names, they are very good at portraying their characters' personalities and quirks.

This film may not have had a big budget, but it's a lot of fun and definitely worth seeing. Unlike a lot of movies I've seen and forgotten rather quickly, this one stayed with me for a long time. For me, that's the sign of a good one. I recommend it to anyone wanting to relax and laugh at the never-ending battle between men and women.

must say a real surprise how entertaining and captivated this movie had me. I didn't know or expect much but was pleased by this flick, thank you joe for recommending it. the actors did a good job; some excellent, others good; while the writing was a solid job, with many surprises I didn't expect. Bravo! a real needle in a haystack.

"The Big Announcement" is one of those movies you can watch with your girlfriend or wife where you're not constantly checking your watch and thinking about the game you're missing on TV. Even though it's a romantic comedy, you have the feeling that you're not the only man in the room. Other movies that do that for me are "The Brothers McMullen", "The Tao of Steve", "Clerks", or anything with Kurt Russell.

The story follows Bill who has made the huge leap of getting engaged to girlfriend Laura. You'd think she'd be happy and relax. But no, it's like she's got to keep testing him and saying junk like, "If he really loved me, he'd..." Now why do women do that? To complicate matters, the guys go fishing and Sam fills Bill's head with doubts about getting tied down to one woman for the rest of his life. Sam talks about the fun of dating new girls and when Bill talks about his single days, he says it was great. Then a flashback to Bill getting turned down again and again, then sitting alone on the couch without a date on a Friday night. Hilarious stuff.

Herbie cracked me up. He's a guy who's spineless and stubborn all at the same time. He has a dream to keep working in the shoe store (okay, so it's a stupid dream), but his girlfriend Gail wants him to take an insurance job with her father. So she basically wants to change him. Now why do women do that? If a woman doesn't like the way a guy is, then leave the poor sap alone. Anyway, Gail's got no right to try to take away a man's dream, even if it is a stupid dream.

The personal trainer Sam was cool because he didn't buy into all the stuff that women want us to believe about how the long term relationship is the ultimate thing. Sam just lived his life the way he wanted without getting all emotional. He had some funny observations: "The longer a relationship lasts, the worse it gets." Sam stops Herbie from eating a women's nutrition bar and goes, "The last thing you need is more estrogen." Sam's views were funny but not totally practical, because in life you have to eventually settle into a long-term relationship or you'll end up as this pathetic, lonely loser balancing a TV dinner tray on your pot belly as you lie on a dirty couch in your boxers watching WWE Smack Down Wrestling.

I thought the acting was good because it felt like these guys were actual friends who had a history together. The actresses were good (and cute) and they were believable as they went on and on about their opinions.

I was really into the story of Bill's dilemma of what road to choose because that's the road he's going to be on for the rest of his life, no side roads, no frontage road, no exit. It's sort of moral tale of a guy being tempted by Satan (Sam). Will he choose temptation or will he choose to get married to Laura? Good movie. Liked it.

Not just a chick flick. This movie bring both points of view to the table, which makes for an enticing perspective on modern day relationships. I was most impressed with Ross Wright who, not only wrote the insightful score to the movie, played a very convincing egomaniac trainer to the (not so famous) stars!

Check this out, you won't be sorry!