THE AISLE SEAT

There's Something About Jerry, Terri, Barry, Cari, Cheri & Mary

by Bryan Powers

G21 Film Reviewer

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NEW YORK CITY - Looking for a mean-spirited film that reinforces every negative aspect of human relations in the 90's? Then look no further. Your Friends & Neighbors contains every taboo conversation, feared confrontation, and unhealthy situation that could possibly plague one's nightmares about his or her own relationship. There is some dysfunction for everyone to relate to. If you don't see yourself in one of Friends' characters, you will undoubtedly recognize someone else you know. After all, these are YOUR Friends & Neighbors. This brutally honest film never fails to titillate, irritate, and shock. One astounding scene follows another in what creator Neil LaBute has tagged "A Modern Immorality Tale."

The most engaging ensemble cast assembled this year, fueled with LaBute's taut script, generate some unforgettable moments that will certainly keep you talking long after you've left the theater. Jerry (Ben Stiller) lives with Terri (Catherine Keener) but wants to sleep with Mary (Amy Brenneman) who is married to his good friend Barry (Aaron Eckhart.) There is Cheri (Nastassja Kinski) who starts an affair with Terri. And worst of them all is Cary (Jason Patric) who doesn't aspire to sleep with any of his friends but manages to fuck with them in other ways. The names of these characters may sound a little silly since they all rhyme. But there is never a reference to their names during the course of the film. Their names are not revealed until the credits, an interesting tactic that gives LaBute's creation even more universality.

LaBute's first feature, In The Company of Men, portrayed men as being disgustingly self-centered and without conscience. In Friends the women share some of these same characteristics alongside their male counterparts. Although, one can argue that the male sex wins out as the most horrible. Unlike other movies, no one is redeemed in this film. Look as hard as you can for a character to root for. You won't find one. Each friend is defective and cruel in some aspect. There are no heroes. And LaBute is relentless in shoving his creation's self-serving actions in your face.

Where the film There's Something About Mary makes you squirm in your seat and laugh-out-loud due to its character's over-the-top (yet unrealistic) actions, Friends will make you do the same due to its character's over-the-top (yet realistic) actions. Both films have another thing in common - the comic talents of Ben Stiller. Stiller continues to surprise. His roles in Flirting With Disaster, "Mary" and now this film, have displayed a versatility not seen in most comedic actors his age. As his disgruntled partner, Keener delivers a performance that brings her one step closer to stardom. Her gutsy, tell-it- like-it-is Terri, gets some of the more memorable lines. And although her somewhat masculine appearance is a running gag in Friends, the camera loves Keener and her offbeat beauty, even when she appears alongside Kinski. Jason Patric's Cary takes the prize for most disturbing monologue. In a sauna scene with his buddies, Patric describes his best sexual encounter with unflinching confidence and pride. He displays no sense of remorse that the encounter he describes was a gang rape perpetrated back in his high-school days. Patric is so smooth and convincing, he's scary. Patric creates the definitive villain to be found in any movie this year, or last.

LaBute needs to be commended not only for his winning script, but for the effective way he has filmed Friends. Interior shot after interior shot with minimal editing or change of perspective lends Friends an uncomfortable, nearly claustrophobic atmosphere. There is no escape. You are locked in with these psychos, and are unable to look away as their actions become more and more unbearable. The credits roll and one almost runs from the theater, gasping for air. LaBute is a wickedly effective director. Your Friends and Neighbors, the anti-date film of the 90's, will either make you realize how good you have it or it will awake you to your own dysfunctions. Take a friend, not a lover or you may be confronting issues you'd rather avoid.

Grade: A for Absolutely Terrifying

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