Film Review
Whilst the format is horribly familiar (the film is virtually a carbon
copy of Lawrence Kasdan's
The Big
Chill),
Peter's Friends
distinguishes itself as a typically downbeat Brit comedy by virtue of
its acid-lined script and incomparable ensemble cast. Kenneth
Branagh directs the film with his customary aplomb and whilst the end
result is far less memorable than his more lavish productions - such as
his Shakespearean romps
Henry V (1989) and
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) -
the film has no difficulty engaging with its audience, mainly because
it deals with experiences that are familiar to anyone who watches
it. Admittedly, not all of the characters are as well developed
and convincing as you might want, but the fact that they are played by
such a likeable and familiar crowd makes it easy for us to accept them
and sympathise with their personal crises, which range from the
laughable to the truly hideous.
Some of the performances even take us by surprise. Hugh Laurie,
at the time better known as a comedy performer (mostly through his
frequent television collaborations with Stephen Fry), shows a
surprising aptitude for straight drama and makes the most favourable
impact, doing his subsequent career no end of good in the
process. When it comes to high class acting, Laurie's only real
challenger is Emma Thompson, who manages to be both funny and tragic as
the 30-something spinster desperate to find her ideal man (the fact
that she plumps for Stephen Fry makes her appear more tragic than Anna
Karenina and Joan of Arc combined).
Co-screenwriter Rita Rudner does a good impression of the Hollywood
soap vixen, although next to the stunning Alphonsia Emmanuel she might
as well be invisible. Branagh's main contribution on the acting
front is a lesson on how
not
to perform a drunk scene. Stephen Fry is his old luvvy self - no
acting effort required, pish, tush.
Peter's Friends is by no means
perfect but it has its rewards - in small, nicely gift-wrapped portions
- and overall it offers a moving and witty reflection on the cruel
ironies of life and the true value of friendship in an ever-changing
world. If you ever wanted to see Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and
Kenneth Branagh in a can-can line-up, this is where you need to be -
just make sure you book the post-shock therapy beforehand.
© James Travers 2012
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In 1982, six university friends go their separate ways after a final
disastrous performance of their comedy revue. Ten years later,
following the death of his father, one of the six, Peter, decides to
hold a reunion, inviting his old friends to his large ancestral home to
welcome in the New Year. A lot has happened in ten years.
Andrew is now a successful Hollywood writer, married to TV star Carol;
Roger and Mary are married and make their living as jingle writers;
Sarah has found fame as a costume designer; and Maggie has made a
career in publishing. Whilst all of Peter's friends appear to
have made a success of their professional lives, it soon becomes
apparent that their domestic situations are far from ideal. Roger
and Mary are still coming to terms with the death of one of their
children; Andrew resents owing his success to his celebrity wife;
Sarah's love life is no more than a series of empty short-term
romances; and Maggie has yet to find the right man. As his guests
begin to fall out among themselves, Peter decides the time has come to
drop his own bombshell...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.