Peter's Friends

There are some friends in life you know you will have for the rest of your life. You're welded together by love, trust, respect or loss... or in our case simple embarrassment!

Reminiscent in many ways of Lawrence Kasdam's The Big Chill, the story centres around six ex-members of a University comedy revue as they celebrate New Year's Eve together for the first time in ten years. Although successful in their chosen professions, the last decade has left them with all manner of personal problems. Put simply, they're completely bonkers! This leaves plenty of room for comedy, wonderfully played by the excellent cast. Not all is laughter though, and this film carefully skates between comedy and tragedy right up to the highly unexpected ending.

There are many things to watch out for, among them Tony Slattery's slobbish outsider; Rudner's unbearably preening US sitcom star; Branagh as an expatriate who makes his money by selling ropey scripts to Hollywood, getting horribly drunk; and of course the cringe worthy revue number which opens the film, actually performed by certain members of the cast, and chosen by the writers (husband and wife team Rita Rudner and Martin Bergmann) for that very reason!

All in all a wonderful film which does not require your brain to be removed as you pass the theatre entrance. If for any reason you missed it in the cinema, or if you enjoyed it before, this is one film not to miss this term. I know for a fact that I won't!

Foz (Archive)