Best Man Down: A Movie About Love And Loss

*Best Man Down* is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Ted Koland. The movie stars Justin Long and Jess Weixler as newlyweds Scott and Kristin, who are forced to cancel their honeymoon and return to Minnesota to plan the funeral of their best man, Lumpy (Tyler Labine), who dies unexpectedly on their wedding night. The film explores the themes of friendship, family, addiction, and triumph as the couple uncovers secrets about their deceased friend and meets a 15-year-old girl named Ramsey (Addison Timlin), who was close to Lumpy.

The death of the best man

Lumpy returns to his hotel room, where he continues drinking and accidentally cracks his skull, passing out soon after. In a disoriented state, he wanders outside, looking for help, and sadly, dies after falling on a cactus. This serves as a catalyst for the rest of the movie, as Scott and Kristin must now cancel their honeymoon and return to Minneapolis to plan Lumpy's funeral.

Lumpy's death also serves as a catalyst for introducing the character of Ramsey Anderson, a 15-year-old girl from a troubled home. She is a mysterious name in Lumpy's phone, and the film explores her relationship with Lumpy and how she fits into the narrative following his death.

The newlyweds' return to Minnesota

The newlyweds, Scott and Kristin, return to Minnesota to plan Lumpy's funeral. They had to cancel their honeymoon to make the arrangements. Lumpy, Scott's best friend, had no other friends or family members who could handle the burial decisions, which is why the couple had to return to Minneapolis.

Scott and Kristin contact Lumpy's college and workplace and speak to his friends to try and find his next of kin. They discover that Lumpy had been in a relationship with a 15-year-old girl named Ramsey Anderson, who lived in a small town in Northern Minnesota. They decide to drive up to Ramsey's town to find her.

When they arrive at her house, they tell her that Lumpy has died and offer to give her the details of the funeral. However, Ramsey asks them to leave. The next morning, Ramsey finds the couple at their hotel and asks for a ride to the funeral in Minneapolis. She tells them she is pregnant with Lumpy's baby and needs to leave her current living situation.

Scott and Kristin take her back to her house to get permission from her mother. They are confronted by her mother's gun-wielding boyfriend, who believes they are the police. However, Ramsey's mother gives her money and tells her she can go, recognising that this is Ramsey's chance to get away.

The funeral arrangements

Scott and Kristin's wedding takes place in Phoenix, and during the celebrations, Lumpy gets extremely drunk and obnoxious, leading Scott to cut him off from the bar. Returning to his hotel room, Lumpy continues drinking and accidentally falls, cracking his skull. He stumbles outside for help but dies after falling on a cactus. Scott and Kristin are informed of Lumpy's death the next morning and, despite Kristin's reluctance to postpone their honeymoon, Scott insists on arranging for Lumpy's body to be returned to Minnesota for the funeral.

Arriving back in Minneapolis, the couple discovers that Lumpy had no other friends or family members to handle the burial decisions. They contact Lumpy's college and workplace and try to reach out to a mysterious name in his phone, Ramsey Anderson, a 15-year-old girl from a broken family. They learn that Lumpy had been involved with Ramsey and decide to drive to her town to find her.

In flashbacks, we see that Lumpy and Ramsey had a close friendship, and Ramsey eventually agrees to join Scott and Kristin for the funeral. She reveals that Lumpy had a heart defect and knew he was dying, but she assures Scott that he never took advantage of her. At the funeral, Ramsey delivers a powerful eulogy, sharing intimate details about Lumpy that no one else knew.

The best man's relationship with a 15-year-old girl

In the film "Best Man Down", the best man Lumpy has a close friendship with a 15-year-old girl, Ramsey Anderson. Ramsey lives with her drug-addicted mother and her mother's boyfriend, a former soldier in Iraq who cooks meth for a living. Lumpy meets Ramsey when he knocks on her door and asks for permission to cut across her parents' property to go ice fishing. After Lumpy falls through the ice, Ramsey rescues him and invites him into her home to get cleaned up. However, they end up arguing, and Lumpy is arrested after the hotel clerk calls the police. Despite this, Lumpy continues to visit Ramsey, and their friendship grows.

Ramsey is initially reluctant to get involved with Lumpy's funeral arrangements. When the newlywed couple, Scott and Kristin, first contact her, she asks them to leave. However, she later joins them and delivers a powerful eulogy at the funeral, revealing intimate details about Lumpy that no one else knew. Ramsey's relationship with Lumpy is described as a "nonsexual lovestory" and is praised for its touching and authentic portrayal.

The dynamic between Lumpy and Ramsey adds depth to the film, as it explores themes of friendship, family, and secrets. Their relationship is central to the film's exploration of the hidden lives of those around us and the unexpected ways in which people connect.

The newlyweds' honeymoon cancellation

Lumpy, played by Tyler Labine, is Scott's best friend and best man at his wedding to Kristin. However, things take a turn for the worse when Lumpy gets extremely drunk at the wedding, annoying the guests and causing Scott to politely ask him to leave. Returning to his hotel room, Lumpy continues drinking and, in a drunken stupor, accidentally falls and cracks his skull. He stumbles outside, covered in blood, but unfortunately dies after falling on a cactus.

Scott and Kristin are informed of Lumpy's death the next morning and are faced with a difficult decision. Despite Kristin's disappointment about postponing their honeymoon, she supports Scott's decision to return to their hometown of Minneapolis to plan Lumpy's funeral. This decision sets off a chain of events that uncover secrets and reveal a side of Lumpy that even his best friend didn't know.

The couple discovers that Lumpy had no other friends or family members to handle the burial decisions, which raises questions about their decision to cancel their honeymoon and spend money they don't have on the funeral. In their efforts to contact Lumpy's next of kin, they come across Ramsey Anderson, a 15-year-old girl from a broken family. Ramsey, played by Addison Timlin, had a close friendship with Lumpy, and her presence in the film adds depth and a touching non-sexual love story.

As Scott and Kristin navigate the funeral arrangements, they learn more about Lumpy's life and the secrets he kept, including his relationship with Ramsey and his knowledge of a heart defect that was causing his health to deteriorate. The film explores the themes of friendship, family, and the unexpected twists that life can bring.

Frequently asked questions