In 2004, Australian filmmaker Stephan Elliott fell from a cliff whilst skiing, breaking his back, pelvis and legs. He was given 20 minutes to live, but given that this is not a posthumous interview, live is what he did. The road to recovery was long, but this near-death experience renewed Elliott’s vigour to make movies, much of which he’d lost after a decade of disappointing followups to his breakout hit The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
I doubt it’s a coincidence, then, that Elliott’s new screwball comedy A Few Best Men is set against the backdrop of a sheer cliff overlooking the Blue Mountains, on the edge of which a bride and groom blissfully plan to unite. Of course, much like Elliott’s own cliff experience, the result is nothing short of disastrous. Only this time it’s hilariously disastrous.
Unmistakably written by Death at a Funeral‘s Dean Craig, A Few Best Men follows a trio of brash British groomsmen as they attend — and destroy — their best friend’s lavish Australian wedding. It’s a rapid-fire farce that rivals the snowballing absurdity of The Hangover and Bridesmaids, but as the film’s Australia Day opening suggests, A Few Best Men is uniquely and proudly a home-brew production.
Whilst Elliott was promoting the film in Adelaide, I was given the opportunity to sit down with the candid Aussie filmmaker and talk about the ins and outs of making people laugh, from filming one of the most dangerous and hilarious stunts of the movie, to his traumatic teenage years as a wedding videographer where he saw it all, and then some.
You can watch our interview below:
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