Hallmark makes movies that are special and something that is definitely special – The Groomsmen Trilogy. Starring B.J. Britt, Tyler Hynes and Jonathan Bennett – the movies follow three best friends as they navigate love, life, and hey – get married.
Having seen all three of the movies already, it’s really hard to write something about these movies because we are not allowed to say much – but we want to gush. We want to gush because these movies are important. They are different. And they are just really damn good.
Lets talk about the first film. Here’s everything we know.
WHO STARS IN THE FIRST MOVIE
Before anyone yells at us – we’re using official bios here – because hey, people who may not know these actors may look at this and they are all impressive AF and so we want people to see that. No one writes things more impressive than a good publicist and their bios are definitely impressive. We’d write sonnets on how these actors affect our hearts and inspire us.
B.J. BRITT
B.J. Britt first resonated with audiences via the bigscreen with notable roles in films Peaceful Warrior opposite Nick Nolte and Heavens Fall opposite Anthony Mackie. During that same time he also took a few turns in the comedy film world with roles in 10 Things I Hate About Life and the satire Vampires Suck.
Britt’s two most memorable turns were his long running roles on ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD” and BET’s “Being Mary Jane.” He gained additional notoriety as the lead role in Season 2 of Lifetime’s critical darling “UnREAL.”
Britt can also be seen in holiday romcoms “Christmas Dilemna” and “Rediscovering Christmas.” Other television appearances include recurring roles on ABC’s “A Million Little Things,” FOXs “Pitch” and The CW’s “One Tree Hill.”
JONATHAN BENNETT
Though his striking good looks may have made Jonathan Bennett an object of affection for the “plastics” in Mean Girls, his talent and commitment are what have lead them to his becoming one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. Diversifying his talent, he released a best-selling Mean Girls parody Burn Cookbook, became a fan favorite on the likes of “Dancing with the Stars” and “Celebrity Big Brother,” which helped pave the way to various high-profile hosting gigs inclusive of Food Network’s “Battle of the Decades” and ratings powerhouse “Halloween Wars.”
He’s parlayed the success of “The Christmas House” franchise into a two picture deal with Hallmark Media for which he starred in and produced their “Wedding of a Lifetime” and “The Holiday Sitter” vehicles; the latter of which garnered the network yet another GLAAD Media Award nomination.
Bennett’s first foray into a studio film was, in fact, Paramount’s smash hit Mean Girls from producer Lorne Michaels and writer Tina Fey in which he starred opposite Lindsay Lohan. In the romantic comedy Lovewrecked, Bennett transitioned into the love interest of Amanda Bynes. He has since starred as Bo Duke in Warner Bros. prequel to The Dukes of Hazzard; the comedy romp Bachelor Party Vegas with Kal Penn; the title role of National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: Freshman Year, in FOX’s sequel to the hit comedy, Cheaper by the Dozen as Steve Martin’s antagonistic son-in-law; and reunited with Cheaper co-star Hilary Duff for The Haunting of Sharon Tate. Also to his credit is the original telefilm, Harvest of the Heart, which was one of the first vehicles to film amidst the pandemic, the indie feature, Potato Dreams of America which premiered at SXSW, and most recently, the romantic comedy The Plus One alongside Cedric the Entertainer.
Bennett executive produced and starred in the film Authors Anonymous opposite Kaley Cuoco, continued to wear his producing hat as well as carry a supporting role in the feature Pawn with Ray Liotta and Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker. Additionally, he starred in the indie drama Do You Take This Man opposite Anthony Rapp, in IFC Films’ dramatic thriller Submerged, the comedy Do Over, the crime thriller Paid in Full, the indie comedy The Assistants, Slightly Single in L.A. with Simon Rex and Jenna Dewan, the drama Memorial Day with James Cromwell, the thriller Cats Dancing on Jupiter, the romantic comedy Divorce Invitation opposite Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the comedy Take Me to Tarzana, the romance Mining for Ruby with Mischa Barton, as well as a pair of Lifetime telefilms “Romantically Speaking” opposite “Glee’s” Heather Morris and the lead role in Music High. Bennett took Best Actor honors at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival for his lead role in the independent feature Season of Youth.
Another trio of Hallmark original telefilms, “Love at First Glance” opposite Amy Smart and Adrian Grenier, “Christmas Made to Order” and a reunion with Mean Girls co-star Lacey Chabert in “Elevator Girl” round out his impressive list of film projects.
Additionally, after hosting MTV’s “Copycat” competition series, he again joined the Viacom family with recurring arcs on VH1’s “Hit the Floor” and MTV’s “Awkward.” Additional hosting duties have included Food Network’s “Cake Wars” and “Holiday Wars,” Times Square’s New Year’s Eve Countdown, as well as his role with NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage.
Outside of an arc on Shondaland’s “Station 19”, the occasional guest star roles on the likes of “Fantasy Island,” “Supergirl,” “Deception,” “Cane” Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order: SVU,” David E. Kelley’s “Boston Public,” “Smallville,” “Veronica Mars,” “The Glades,” “Eastwick” and Bennett’s firs and only foray into series television was on the Emmy Award-winning “All My Children” after less than a month of having moved from his native Ohia to New York City.
Bennett currently resides outside of Los Angeles with his husband, Jaymes Vaughan, and their beloved pup, Bradley. The two recently made history by being the first gay couple to grace the cover of The Knot and also co-host iHeart’s GLAAD Media Award-nominated PrideCast Podcast.
TYLER HYNES
Tyler Hynes was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, Ontario with the artist gene in his veins. He is an accomplished actor, director, producer, editor, writer and musician, and he is constantly striving to create and star in new and innovative projects. Hynes got his professional start at the age of eight performing on stage, touring Canada in the role of young Tommy in the rock musical The Who’s Tommy. From there he went on to television and films. By age 13, Hynes was on television screens everywhere starring as a main character in “Amazon” and he hasn’t stopped since. Some of his greatest accolades and achievements include a Best Actor Gemini nomination for “Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story,” which told the reallife tragedy about a Canadian high school student who was beaten and left for dead.
At age 18, Hynes landed in movie theaters everywhere starring alongside Andie MacDowell and Tim Roth in The Last Sign. He then transitioned from teen actor to adult actor flawlessly, and in his 20s worked alongside James Franco and Sienna Miller in Camille. Shortly thereafter, Hynes captivated audiences in NBC’s “The Firm” based on John Grisham’s novel, in which he portrayed the smug and overly intelligent Ivy Leaguer Patrick Walker, who was about to stand trial for first degree murder. He also appeared in “Betty and Coretta” opposite Mary J. Blige.
Most recently, Hynes starred in Hallmark Channel’s original movie “Sweet Carolina” and previously starred for the network in “It Was Always You,” “12 Days to Love,” “Winter in Vail,” “Flip That Romance,” “It’s Christmas, Eve,” and “Falling for You.” In addition, he can be seen in a recurring role in the TV series “UnREAL,” as well as a lead role in the feature film Peace, starring opposite Alexander Ludwig. Hynes cultivated a huge following as a series regular on “Saving Hope” for his portrayal of Luke Reid, the paramedic brother of the main character. Other notable recurring roles include “Transporter: The Series” and the critically acclaimed Canadian series, “19-2” and “Letterkenny.”
While his acting portfolio continues to prosper, Hynes’ directing career is coming to the forefront. He has directed, produced and written seven worldwide released music videos and four short films to critical acclaim.
HEATHER HEMMENS
Heather Hemmens played Maria Deluca as a series regular on popular The CW series “Roswell, New Mexico.” She starred in Jamie Foxx’s series “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” and the OWN series “If Loving You is Wrong,” and had a recurring role on “Yellowstone” opposite Kevin Costner. Her previous TV credits include a series lead on “Hellcats” for The CW as well as a recurring role on the hit ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy.” Recently for Hallmark Channel, Hemmens starred in “A Pinch of Portugal,” “Caribbean Summer” and “Love, Take Two.” Hemmens also starred in “Christmas in My Heart” for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. #
IS IT A STANDALONE?
Nope. The trilogy has three movies – The Groomsmen: First Look, The Groomsmen: Second Chances and The Groomsmen: Last Dance.
The Groomsmen: First Look premieres October 17th, with The Groomsmen: Second Chances following on October 24th, and then The Groomsmen: Last Dance on October 31st. The three movies are streaming on Hallmark+.
MEN IN TUXES
WHERE WAS IT FILMED
This year, we all should have paid more attention to the clues. With Jonathan Bennett, BJ Britt, and Tyler Hynes posting videos from the most beautiful locations – we failed. We failed at thinking they are up to something. But did we enjoy all the posts from Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria. Absolutely.
The movies started filming in early 2024 and wrapped in July of 2024.
FIRST LOOK VIDEOS
KEY ART
LOGLINE
A cautious pediatrician and an overseas doctor, meet at a wedding in Philadelphia, but the long distance, family, and their friends may hinder their budding romance.
SOME DRESS UP
PHOTOS
Are you excited for The Groomsmen: First Look? It premieres tomorrow, October 17th, on Hallmark+.
