Best movie of this year hands down!

Expected more

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

For a while, I felt interested but a bit removed. Certainly the story is tragic, but there are so many tragic tales in the world. Certainly any homophobia is horrific, but when there are still gay men being lynched, this story seemed not nearly as dramatic and shocking as others. And its style is basic – talking head interviews with friends and family, home videos, photographs. I thought (in my smug liberal way) that its good for the country to see a film showing how normal, likable and in love two young men could be. But this wasn't news to me. It felt rudimentary, aimed at those who had never known a gay couple and realized 'hey, they're just people'. But then something strange happened. In the film's last half hour it built into an emotional tidal wave. I didn't realize I was hit until I suddenly started to cry. These two men were so deeply, sweetly in love, and Shane Crone, rather than simply crawl into a shell after the untimely death of the love of his life, and after being barred from the funeral by the homophobic family, and dealt many other emotional (and legal) cuts and bruises only because he and his life partner were gay, managed to rally himself, and make a you tube video that has reached millions with an impossible to argue with plea for gay marriage. That he could take this devastating loss, add mistreatment, and instead of giving up on life do something important and life affirming was profoundly affecting. Suddenly the whole film seemed to have more weight. I wept through the very moving responses his video (the one that got me is a self proclaimed life-long redneck, vowing to never oppose gay lovers again). Even the end credits full of thousands of names of those who cared enough to contribute to the Kickstarter campaign for the film moved me with joy for the resilience of human beings, the fact that things are getting better, and that love is still the most powerful thing in the human experience, both in personal and political terms.

Yes, this is a sad story. But it isn't that well done. It's just a series of interviews and video selfies. Part A: The lead up. Part B: The love story. Part C: Loss and those dreary, horrible Hoosiers. Nothing new. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing learnt.I felt very uncomfortable in one respect. These boys sure enjoyed filming themselves to a point where they seemed like exhibitionists. I felt like a voyeur and that they wanted me to be a voyeur. One other reviewer likened this to MTV's "Real World". I agree in the sense that this screams "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" This documentary felt like a set-up: Let's get back at the nasty in-laws. They were nasty. They do deserve being told and having the world told what absolute turds they were. But this shouldn't have been the story/documentary in and of itself. It felt like an extended story within a documentary. It could have been told just as effectively and thoroughly in ten minutes. The filmmakers could have incorporated this into a documentary about the need for marriage equality or something.Did I get upset? Yes, but any lesbian or gay man over 15 wouldn't be surprised by any of it and most have experienced worse first- or second-hand. It just isn't compelling enough to be the subject of an entire documentary.Am I glad I saw it? I guess. If it interests you, you probably should watch it. Understand that it does not warrant an average rating of 8.0, which it has in May 2014. One can't watch this and think it's a great documentary after watching any of a number of quality AIDS or PBS documentaries. Trust me, I'm not a tough grader. I just checked my ratings: Out of 183 documentaries seen during my 14 years with an IMDb.com account, I've given 67 a "10". 'Bridegroom' just isn't that good.

Still brings tears to my eyes thinking about Shane and knowing he's somewhere out there today still filled with discomfort in the loss of his best friend and companion. Very emotional and hard to wrap your head around just how intense of an emotion that would be to endure. The message is conveyed very well, and the majority of the film is just building up to a very strong climax. At the turn of events the film becomes very emotional and a strong tear jerker. Over-all the movie is A++ but hard to watch because it is very very sad! I have seen many fictional romance movies with sad endings, but when the story is true, it can really take to heart just how powerful a story Shane has to share.

I had the privilege of seeing Bridegroom at the Little Rock Film Festival this year where it won the Best Documentary Audience Award. (By the way it also won the Audience Award at Tribeca, Toronto, Los Angeles and Memphis!) Little did I expect to experience the range of emotions I felt at the screening of this excellent film.A moving testament of love and friendship found by two young men from small-town America, it deftly showcases the many issues involved in marriage equality when one of the young men meets an untimely death.The results are devastating as we see the results of marriage INEQUALITY rear its ugly head. We feel the pain in a shattered relationship. Nevertheless, the movie ends with a victorious comeback for the surviving half of this enduring love.Bridegroom is the best, and most moving documentary I have ever seen. It has the feel of an Oscar winning narrative feature. Well worth the effort to see, you will never forget this friendship that blossomed into a lifeline of love for two lonely souls.I rate this documentary a 10 out of 10.