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movie review - Your Friends + Neighbours

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

As dreary and disheartening as In the Company of Men, the writer/director's last flick, this film is about a number of dysfunctional and largely unpleasant thirty-something characters, and the relationships that form within their small circle.

Early on, Stiller's character actually gives away the plot: it's all about sex. In all, several people sleep with someone else's spouse, a few breakups occur, and a few (too many, awkward, etc) revelations come to light. Patric is surprisingly good as a low-life doctor (an outstanding line in the film is his, which I'll paraphrase as "Is there a heaven, will we have to pay? Will I? Who knows. We'll all get to find out. Until then, we're on my time."), Stiller is bang-on as usual (even if it's the self-obsessed neurotic type is familiar territory by now), and Catherine Keener's icy, manipulative bitch is horribly excellent.

On the whole, there's lots of unpleasantness but no real pay-off.

Not recommended.