Stag (1997) User Reviews

All copies of this should be destroyed!!!!!

[tarantinoboy · 5/10 · 4 April 1999]

First off, this movie was terrible. Now I have to address another issue.

People do not understand how long it takes to get a movie made. VERY BAD THINGS was released about a year after STAG. ONE YEAR. And people are saying that VBT stole the idea from STAG. WRONG!!! Peter Berg wrote VBT in his trailer during the filming of COPLAND. How could he know or care to know about the making of a lame direct-to-video movie? He wouldn't. VBT is far superior to this slow, plodding, poorly acted, poorly directed, poorly etc. movie. I can't even remember if there was a score in this movie. It doesn't matter because it was brutal. I want to know how semi-famous people like Mario Van Peebles and Ben Gazzara got roped into this trash heap of unoriginality.

1/2* (out of 10)

An Over-Praised Piece Of Garbage!!!!!!!

[tarantinoboy · 5/10 · 4 April 1999]

There is not one single solitary original idea in this film. None. It drags from the opening. The editing is terrible. The acting is lame and the story was so bad that I didn't even finish watching it because I didn't care about the outcome of the characters.

I know that while the guidelines say I should not comment on other reviews I feel I must in this case. I came to review this movie right after I stopped it. To my disbelief people are actually praising this film as being thought provoking. The only thought it provoked in me was that I could make a better movie than it. The only person with a decent comment was the guy from England.

This movie was also compared to VERY BAD THINGS. A fair analogy because they both have the same basic idea. But, STAG fails to entertain. I laughed for an hour and a half straight during VERY BAD THINGS. But, during STAG I caught myself thinking of VERY BAD THINGS. VERY BAD THINGS was shocking. STAG was boring. Pass on this one.

I give it 2 out of 10.

If you liked Suicide Kings...

[abuback · 9 June 2002]

I was up late the other night and this was on HBO. I only started to watch it because of John Henson, who I liked watching on "Talk Soup". Boy, was this a stretch for him!

"Stag"'s premise is simple enough, but the writing and cinematography were complex. As I was watching, I was reminded of another engrossing film... "Suicide Kings". Both take place in one location (mostly), and both involve a group of guys dealing with their recent actions, and a hostage. Both also have a known comedic actor (in this case Henson) doing a dramatic turn. And VERY well, I might add.

Unlike most movies, this one doesn't quite turn out like you think it will, not completely. For mostly B Actors, I was very impressed with the quality of the work. I'm also surprised more impressive talents didn't sign on after Jerry Stiller got attached to the movie! But nonetheless... if you liked "Suicide Kings" you should like "Stag" as well.

"Stag" is vastly inferior to "Very Bad Things" ........

[merklekranz · 3/10 · 8 July 2013]

The plot of a bachelor party gone terribly wrong plays far better as "black comedy" in "Very Bad Things", than in the claustrophobic free for all that is "Stag". The constant flip flopping of plans to save their asses really becomes tiresome. Almost the entire film takes place in one room, and with so many characters with zero character development, the outcome becomes a "so what". Sure it's violent at times, but the talent of Ben Gazzara, and especially Jerry Stiller is totally wasted by not pursuing the dark comedy angle. What you are left with is a claustrophobic movie, that is vastly inferior to "Very Bad Things". - MERK

Cunning twist? Nah...

[ArtfulLodger · 3/10 · 7 October 2006]

Well that's 90 minutes of my life I'll never see again...the idea was fine, cheap to shoot, could have covered some real ground, but in the end took the easy route through every choice it had to make.

When the strippers were doing their stripping, right upto the pallid sex scene, I was convinced one of them was a transvestite! I see now it was the lighting, and stronger physique of the actress combined with awkward-looking boobs, but by golly it would have made such a better film if it had been. If you can bear watching it again, see if I'm right, then if it would have been a worse film for it...

Scores 3 for the fact the production was so economically planned...I have to wonder if they shot this in less than a week, single location, etc. Must have been cheap as chips. It'll have made it's money back many times over above a big expensive blockbuster! :-)

A Horrible Let-down

[SpudMons · 2/10 · 8 November 1998]

This film was recommended to me by a friend, and I must say that I was surprised to find that I disagreed so vehemently with his opinion - he thought it was brilliant, I thought it was awful. The basic premise of the film (a group of guys accidently kill a stripper and her escort at a stag party, and then must make a decision on how to deal with the situation) was a promising one. However, it was sorely let down in its realisation. The acting was pretty terrible (especially by Kevin Dillon), the storyline dragged, and the same few ideas on how to shirk the blame for the crime were repeated over and over again. Every now and then someone else says "Hey, why don't we blame it all on the surviving stripper?", followed by someone else saying "Why don't we kill her too?" all the way through the film. And then the resolution, when it finally comes, is disappointingly unimaginative and messy. Don't bother with this one.

What a waste

[mchspeedy · 1/10 · 5 June 2001]

The cover and tagline are appealing, the summary on the back is limited, leading one to believe it should be a pretty good film. But one can easily be misled! I'm ashamed to think this movie was so recent, Andrew McCarthy should be better remembered for his works in the Weekend at Bernie's series. I almost didn't finish watching this film, I wanted to turn it off so badly, but also wanted to see if it would recover in the end, but it didn't. Do not buy, don't even rent it, it's a waste, you're better off with age-old fruit cake as a gift from a loved one.

An excellent predecessor to "Very Bad Things"

[Oryx-3 · 10/10 · 22 January 1999]

I actually saw this after "Very Bad Things" and realised where "Very Bad Things" may have gained the basic ideas from. This is actually a more superior film than "Very Bad Things" as it does take the issue seriously and making it seems like it could happen to anyone.

The large cast, unfortunately, makes it difficult for specific character developments to arise. Even though at the end of the film we do feel sorry for Taylor Dayne's and Kevin Dillon's character. The acting in the film is quite decent too with Dayne holding herself quite well among the other performer. Kevin Dillon comes close second for his portrayal as a man who painfully tries to do the right thing. The ending, while a little dark, could not have been better executed. Overall, 7.5 out of 10.

I Bought It For Leslie Wunderman (Taylor Dayne)

[Blooeyz2001 · 4/10 · 4 August 2002]

I am a Taylor Dayne fan (real name Leslie Wunderman) & wanted to see her acting performance in this film. She was very good. Although, I must say that casting her as a loudmouth exotic dancer isn't really much of a stretch for the native New Yorker. Her close-ups are very unflattering, even her pre-breakdown scenes. I also enjoyed the performance by Gerald Anthony (Ed). (He is best remembered by soap opera fans as the popular character Marco Dane on "One Life To Live"). John Henson pukes up a disgusting substance that I could've done WITHOUT seeing! He's nauseous throughout most of his scenes. Mario Van Peebles is very disturbing looking in this film! He has no eyebrows & his hair looks like a Chia Pet. (Pretty boy) William McNamara overacts his very annoying high-on-something doofus character. I found two death scenes absolutely hilarious when they obviously weren't intended to be.

better than Very Bad Things

[departed07 · 10/10 · 9 August 2003]

Stag came out first before Very Bad Things. What is better about Stag is the dark elements it has: a bachelor party disaster, nobody walking out alive, and who is going to die first. anyway, very bad things ripped off the idea of a dead stripper falling flat on her face, but what I liked about Stag is that it wasn't too much of a dark comedy, but a normal thriller that should've been in the theaters. So I'm going to give it my thumbs up.

One of my all-time favourites

[execation · 10/10 · 15 December 2006]

I first saw a trailer for this film on a movie we rented and thought 'Hmm, I might quite like to watch that' and then forgot about it after the movie had finished. Then, a few years later, it was on a movie channel, late at night, so I sat up and watched it.

Wow - it has since become one of my all-time favourite, story-driven films ever. No kidding. The acting, the editing, the direction, the story - it's brilliantly intense, and Andrew McCarthy is fan-bl**dy-tastic as the guy that tries to keep it together, right down to how he deals with Timon (sp?).

This film is beaten in my top ten rankings only by Suicide Kings, but if that didn't have Walken and Leary in it, this would be closer to the 1 spot.

This Is Unbelievable!

[sol1218 · 8/10 · 9 March 2008]

**SPOILERS** An anything goes wild stag party turns into a nightmare for all those involved with half of the participants ending up dead, from gunshots beatings suicide and even a heart-attack, and the other half having their lives ruined forever.

It didn't have to happen this way it was just to be an evening of good natured fun for the person that the party was being thrown for "Entrepreneur of the Year" Victor Mallick, John Stockwell. Victor about to get married had everything going for him in both business and marriage but that went down the drain together with his freedom by the time the night of horrors ended. Victor now faces some seven years behind bars with his good friend and business partner attorney Michael Barnes, Mario Van Peebles, turning states evidence against him.

As for that slick and slimy shyster, who's running for city council, Michael Barnes all his back-stabbing and legal maneuvering in the end will not only have his license to practice law revoked but have him end up as Victor's cell-mate. Michael as smart as he was, in saving his lousy neck, overlooked an object that recorded the entire sleazy cover-up that he orchestrated. A good old video camcorder that was accidentally left, during all the confusion, on record mode!

The party at first was going as expected with everyone getting juiced on booze and drugs until two, paid for their services, strippers Kelly together with her older sister Serena, Jenny McShane & Taylor Dayne, and their friend Stoker, William Parel,unexpectedly dropped in. Dressed as policemen the three, Kelly Serena & Stoker, ended up setting off the by now out of control and excited party-goers to the point where Kelly ended up dead with her spine broken.

Trying to cover up Kelly's death, which in fact was accidental, the stag-party goer made things a lot worse in trying to protect their careers and reputations by acting like criminals more then just someone, or someones, who're victims of circumstances.

A lot like the movie "12 Angry Men" we get to see the guest of honor Victor and his drinking and partying buddies try to justify their actions that lead to Kelly's death. In justifying their actions Victor & Co. do things far worse, and with full knowledge of what their doing, then what they did to the deceased Kelly by accident! What we get is a night of planning conniving and executing crimes that in the end would put the entire cast of characters, with the exception of those who ended up dead, behind bars for up to fifteen years.

The film "Stag" shows how a group of totally innocent and, with the exception of the stag party's drug supplier ex-con Pete Webber (Andrew McCarthy), upright citizens can in their unfounded fear be whipped up to commit a number of major crimes in a frantic effort to save their jobs freedoms and reputations. Webber, the drug dealer, being a career criminal was anything but concerned in murdering those who can implicate him in Kelly's death. It was fascinating to see Webber's, who should have known better, plan since the worst that he, having really nothing to lose, could get is breaking his parole not losing a six figure job in the business legal sports or entertainment world.

***SPOILER ALERT***The person at the party who was just there because he was Victor's good friend, not that he was a big success in anything, Gulf War Vet Dan Kane, Kevin Dillion, was the only one who seemed to have his head screwed on straight. Trying to do the right thing Ken almost gets himself shot by non-other then Victor, in trying to save his a**, who didn't know who his friends really were until the police put the cuffs on him. Victor trusted his good friend and business partner Michael Barnes who's testimony sent him up the river without a paddle and, when he was to be released, job to support his very expensive lifestyle.

P.S What a difference things would have been for Victor, as well as those at the stag party, if he just listened to his friend Ken. Ken, unlike Michael Barnes, looked after Victor's best interests not those of his own. In the end the almost invisible, to those at the party, camcorder, and what it recorded, was the evidence that got Ken off the hook as well as hooked Victor and his friends into the sate penitentiary.

The life of this film really doesn't die

[PeterMitchell-506-564364 · 8/10 · 19 March 2013]

Things look pretty good for groom to be John Stockwell, where his mates hold him a surprise stag party. His guests are an assortment of characters, some oldies types, that have you questioning, how exactly are these guys related, without never really knowing much about 'em. They are soon wishing it was just a stag party instead of a shag party, when one of two hookers, the prettier, younger one, ends up taking a really bad fall, while being tossed around on a blanket, where she falls face flat on the floor, instantly dead. This is what happens when things get a little too crazy, where alcohol and drugs can really make you do stupid s..t. Too, prior to her death, she had politely asked them to stop, to no avail, and now our men have a situation, where this party has really died. The other hooker, rock singer, Taylor Dane, who in some close ups, horribly resembles a girl I went to acting class with, is kept hostage by this group, who we appallingly discover, with the exclusion of one, are all out to save their own skin. They don't give two hoots about the dead girl, including one promising actor, who doesn't want to throw his career down the toilet on account of a whore. They have plans for the surviving sister too. The rest of the film, impressively intense, at times, deals with the shared conflict between the men, and how they all must agree to do away with the other girl, only we have a greater conflict. Kevin Dillon is the only one not on board. One line of dialogue he uses to describe his friends, and this gutless act, I totally agree with, but really what would you do, if faced with this situation? Would you tell the truth, and risk jail? What if you had everything in front of you, and everything to lose? What if you were that promising actor? Stag, silently raises these questions, and what you would really do in this predicament, where these kind of (before and after) circumstances, could happen tomorrow. That's what I got from this movie, of being any of those guys. They were all in a inescapable dilemma, fate and karma paying one of em, with a heart attack. After all, only earlier was he bonking the deceased. Andrew Mccarthy plays sleaze great here, as a real piece of s..t drug dealer, in probably one of his best performances, the less caring of them all. It was great to see him get his just desserts. Not helping the situation or the men's paranoia, we have some little interruptions by a lonely and annoying old neighbor, guess you can't guess who? Stag eventuates with a realistic, if disillusioned ending, I totally bought, where sometimes, truth can pay off. Good on ya Kev. Stag is one of those better b movies, and when you got a jazzy Tom Jones's number to open it up, you know you're in for something good. A mainstream movie copy followed, Very Bad Things.

Stag vs Very Bad Things

[crystalart · 8/10 · 9 January 2013]

I like both of these films! They're probably a 'genre', although I don't know any other "stag party disaster" films.

I have to say, I also saw a little bit of 'Shallow Grave', especially in 'Very Bad Things' where it was necessary to dissect and dispose of all those inconvenient bodies.

Hello 'Goodfellas'.

Certainly not for everyone...but you know who you are.

Take time to watch both. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either of them.

Kevin McCarthy and Christian Slater are the bad guys. Good choice and they do a good job.

A must-see for all bachelor party-goers

[Kitkat-4 · 24 November 1998]

This film was great. If you've ever been to a bachelor party or heard stories about bachelor parties, this movie is for you. I'm a married woman and have heard scores of stag party anecdotes, both funny and lewd. This movie shows what can happen to perfectly normal, decent, middle to upper-middle class guys when things go terribly wrong and spiral out of control. As the movie progressed I just kept thinking: "I KNOW these guys, this could happen to people I KNOW." Basically, it shows how bad things happen to average, normal people and how we all have a dark side that can come out when pushed to the wall. Watch this movie, with an honest, open mind, and see if there's someone you know up on screen. By the way, is it just me or is the new movie Very Bad Things a rip-off of this one? I've only seen the trailers, but it looks like the same movie. We'll see...

I thought the movie was very professionally executed.

[barry_read · 4 July 2000]

I thought the movie was very professionally executed, although I didn't care for all the violence. Enjoyed some of the performances, including Taylor Dayne & Lawrence Leritz as the cop....I recognized him from TV shows.

It's Not A Party Only For Men; It's A Nightmare Only For The Bourgeoisie !

[elshikh4 · 23 December 2007]

Think about a hidden meaning in the title. (Stag) is obviously the party for a single man who is getting married which is exclusively for men only with maybe stripper (s) as well. But on the other hand, the same word (Stag) could mean: betray, or deceive. And what a banquet of successive reciprocal treachery we had among a bunch of men who represented the degeneration's ugliest degree, the most evil trends and the vilest unity at all whether as men, friends, or creatures of lamentable contemporary bourgeoisie!

It's about some men of the American middle class, having a hard time with an accident that they never plan, who eventually didn't ever make the right ideal choice to end up as true criminals like their own truth from the start, which is hiding behind old masks without an appropriate chance everyday.

That same situation made other movies like (Very Bad Things - 1998) and (100 Mile Rule - 2002). But (Stag - 1997) came first. And it had a reasonable treatment as a fine studying for that terrifying weakness in such a class, a solid atmosphere; with one place in just one night, along with thrilling time too. The acting was sober; for example, (Jerry Stiller) gives one of his finest performances ever. And the event's panic was cinematically well expressed. Here, the social commentary was outstanding compared to the other 2 movies. Let alone few smart touches; (Stiller) raises the American flag as the carnage ends in the morning, (Tom Jones) sings "Let me love you tonight" at the opining credit.. etc. But it had its own flaws too.

Yes, it has the best analysis for its characters and their hidden past; one of them killed before, and he got away with it; as if all of them are hidden killers in a way! Though, the script resorted to nasty phrases on screen to speak about every character; like it was hard to present them out of the stag. However, maybe they were too many to present which leads us to the logical question: Why are they 10 characters?! That's numerous. Especially when the script didn't make the stage as an epitome of the American society, with balanced concentration on them all.

Moreover, I felt some rashness at the third act. For sure I loved that massacre at the end; done by the most poor character as the lower class against the unjust higher one. Nevertheless, it's just an ending where the bad guys went to prison easily by the tape of the video camera. I thought that this complete nightmare should have ended in a harmonious hideousness when all, or most, of them get away with it, having the enduring concealed pain, as ordinary killers living among us dressed like usual humans, while they're all beasts inside. However, the movie selected a regular happy ending. Bloody but with our emotions vaporized with all of those sick culprits getting suitable punishment. It could be satisfying for the viewers, but not that satisfying for the story.

And needless to say that I hated the sex, the nudity, and the foul language. With doing them, and increasingly lately, in movies, TV shows, or even music videos, I see that art will inevitably turn into porn, or worse. You may think that I'm exaggerating, or being pessimistic, but I believe that degeneration is no art, rather it kills the art, along with ethics as well. Agree with me or not, both ways I'm sick of those elements, even if they were done slightly!

(Stag) is a good cinematic incubus. And while being too annoying for its own good sometimes, it's not forgettable like its counterparts of the same satire.

Stag

[Coxer99 · 6 August 1999]

Second rate story about a stag party that goes array when a woman is accidentally killed. Because of the status of some of the male party members, they need to cover their tracks and protect themselves. Poor material delivered by a mostly unsatisfying cast.

Utter Rubbish

[newnoir · 7 September 2000]

I rented this and 'Very Bad Things' in the same night. They both sucked. This sucked slightly less. You know a movie is in trouble when John "Skunkboy" Henson is a member of the cast. I guess we should be grateful Jon Stewart wasn't in it though, anh? Or Bill Maher, Dennis Miller, Al Franken, George Carlin, Richard Belzer or one of the many gawdawful, P.C. hacks who are passing themselves off for comedians these days. But I digress, this film sucks. Just a dumb story where guys at a bachelor party accidentally kill a stripper and instead of doing the obvious thing and calling the cops, they bitch and moan and complain about how the heck they are gonna figure a way out of this mess. Kevin Dillon makes an appearance in this movie and he's just as bad a she usually is. The only bright point is Andrew McCarthy having the guts to play a slimy, psycho bad guy with even badder teeth. You know he's the bad guy cos he wears all black. But skip this movie. Stay home and pick lint out of your bellybutton instead. You'll find it more entertaining.

A very disappointing film...

[Mark Carpenter · 20 November 1999]

From watching the start of the movie, i though that Stag looked quite promising. The introduction of each character, although minimalist, was quite effective... there would be a freeze frame on each character, and some text describing their occupation and past.

Unfortunately the movie takes it time to get to the crucial plot twist that this movie is based on. There's a lot of uninteresting dialog and a scene of gratuitous sex. "When's this movie going to start!" i was left thinking for a good while.

So eventually after the death of the stripper, the protagonists of the movie try to figure out what to do next. But... this is the problem... they spend the entire movie trying to figure out what to do next. And even worse, they still haven't figured out what to do even after the end credits come up. But obviously you don't expect this to happen when you first see this movie, so it's the only thing keeping you watch it.

At the end of the movie i was left feeling very unsatisfied. There could've been such an interesting story made from the idea it presents to you at the start. (Well maybe not the *start*... it does drag on quite a bit ;-) I was expecting some great little plot twists or an intelligent story, but no, the outcome in my opinion is unbelievable and unfinished.

An entertaining adaptation of a "very bad movie".

[zbarc · 26 January 2001]

What I think is most interesting about the movie "Stag" is that it shares a plot and action line almost indentically with a very bad movie entitled "Very Bad Things". Even more of note is the fact that while "Stag" does not have the power of an well known ensemble, it more than makes up for it in sheer entertainment value. With the star power of Cameron Diaz and Christian Slater, it was expected that "Very Bad Things" would be a very funny movie. On the other hand I believe "Stag" is pleasantly surprising in the fact that it is actually quite funny in a dark twisted sort of way without blowing its budget on big name actors that were not able to pull off the comedic timing. Instead virtual no names (aside from Stiller) were utilized to produce a shadowly comic tale.

Compelling; Makes you think

[chytie · 11 January 1999]

I somewhat enjoyed this show; however I watched it after seeing "Very Bad Things" which has the same premise and has better actors. Both shows made one think 'how would I react?

oh no

[LeeBolton · 25 February 2002]

Although a good cast, Stag (terrible title) is a good example of a bad script. All the way through the movie, the actors fight and scream nearly all the time you cannot hear what is going on. The main death scene is laughable stuff (Sloooow mooooow deaths never work) and the dialoge is a scrawl of "kill her" or "shut up". The acting is also bad , using Mario Van Peebles was a stupid idea-he looks like he wanted to run out of there.

A waste of time.

A poor film, littered with has-beens

[DM50 · 20 July 1999]

This film is poorly executed, and has a very B-grade plot. With practically all of the movie being shot in the one location, this becomes even more noticable. There are a lot of actors whose respective careers are in the gutter, and their performances don't do anything to help their causes (eg: Andrew McCartney, Kevin Dillon, Mario Van Peebles, Taylor Dayne etc). How John Henson can criticise and mock people each week on Talk Soup after his role and performance in this movie is beyond me.

Aside from all this, I did watch the whole made-for-video movie, and there were some interesting moments. However, the ending is most unsatisfactory, and I'd only recommend watching this if it's on TV late at night (up against infomercials) - like I did.