Men's Group

2008

1h 44m

Drama

List

86%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Six men meet to talk about their problems and soon realize they must take charge of their lives.

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Audience Member

When I see a film and deem it to be good, it's usually because I felt the emotions that I had expected and hoped for. When I see a film and deem it to be great, like Men's Group, it's because I felt those emotions that I had expected along with some others that came as a pleasant surprise. Watching this independent film out of Australia about a group of men learning to cope with their problems, I found myself experiencing the same sorrow, anger, and genuine compassion as the group of characters did in their weekly therapy sessions. This raw, heart-wrenching story masters the art of storytelling by breaking cinema into its most basic form, scrapping even much of the script in favor of improvisation.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Incredibly affecting

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Men's Group is a small film that suffers at the hands of a lack of money. For the strengths of the film are completely held at bay due to the constraints afforded the cast and crew of the cinematography and sound. The film looks abysmally ordinary at times, and whilst perhaps that was the look the director, Michael Joy, may have been going it did nothing for the stories unfolding. The performances, however, are uniformly outstanding with Grant Dodwell really award-worthy in his turn. His foul-mouthed, gambling addict is really quite an impressive achievement. The whole cast is on point. The film is about both pain and masculinity and how endemic the lack of an ability to express it within men is a problem. A pretty fine effort let down by a smallish budget.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Stop what you are doing. Watch this movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved this fine Australian movie,reminds me alot about me

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a fine film with some really great scenes. it almost has the format of a play in many regards. the cinematography isnt really that good, and some areas of the script i felt were a bit forced, but still really solid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Michael Joy

Director

Grant Dodwell

Alex

Don Reid

Cecil

Paul Gleeson

Paul

Steve Rodgers

Freddy

Steve Le Marquand

Lucas

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David Stratton

The Australian

In the end, despite its considerable shortcomings, Men's Group succeeds because it is moving and the problems of these men are addressed with such clarity and understanding.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 19, 2008

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Eye for Film

a refreshing examination of the collective male psyche through pure drama

Mar 16, 2009

Full Review

Jason Di Rosso

MovieTime, ABC Radio National

The key problem here is that the ensemble never really gels -- the tone of the performances is uneven and the pacing feels off.

Nov 7, 2008

Full Review

Trent Griffiths

FILMINK (Australia)

The performances are outstanding across the board, which is extraordinary considering that every single shot is a first take.

Nov 7, 2008

Full Review

Margaret Pomeranz

At the Movies (Australia)

My first reaction after I saw Men's Group was a deep feeling of awe at the depth and standard of performance in this country.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 7, 2008

Full Review

Andrew L. Urban

Urban Cinefile

The father/child relationship is at the heart of this extended psychotherapy session for an audience that is sucked into the group's brittle dynamic

Oct 31, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Six men meet to talk about their problems and soon realize they must take charge of their lives.

Director: Michael Joy
Screenwriter: Michael Joy, John L. Simpson
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 44m