# Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)

### reviewed by
Edward Johnson-Ott

Your Friends and Neighbors (1998) Jason Patric, Ben Stiller, Catherine Keener, Aaron Eckhart, Amy Brenneman, Nastassja Kinski. Written and directed by Neil LaBute. 100 minutes. R, 4 stars (out of five stars)

Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com/film/ Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com

During sex-ed back in school, the first thing our teacher said was "Sex is communication. If you remember nothing else about my class, please try to remember that." "Your Friends and Neighbors" is about six people who have a great deal of trouble communicating. Variously angry, self- absorbed, over-analytical or simply needy, they couple in a variety of sexual combinations, but no one ever seems to end up satisfied.

After a screening of this pitch-black comedy, one very upset journalist exclaimed "They're not my friends and neighbors! I don't know these people. I don't want to know these people!" I said nothing, but realized that I do know these people. I dated one of them. To be completely honest, there was an awful period of time when I was one of them. Extreme as they may be, the characters in "Your Friends and Neighbors" are drawn from contemporary culture. Look closely and you'll realize that they really are your friends and neighbors, and maybe you as well.

This is the second film from Fort Wayne writer and director Neil LaBute. His first, the brilliant "In the Company of Men," created a sensation last year and made most "Best of" lists at years-end. A dark study of power and cruelty, the film ended with a revelatory scene that forced audience members to rethink everything they had witnessed up to that moment. "Your Friends and Neighbors" contains no such scene. The last act of the film takes place in your head, as you try to sort out the actions and motivations of these six people.

Jason Patric is a hard-bodied predator who rehearses his sex talk and plays tapes of it on his Walkman during workouts. Asked if he considers himself a good person, he angrily snaps "Hey, I'm eating lunch!" then tells of using pilfered hospital stationery to exact revenge by sending an anonymous note to an ex-girlfriend stating that she had been exposed to the HIV virus. He acknowledges that he may face repercussions if Judgment Day ever comes, but "until then, we're on my time."

Aaron Eckhart (Chad from "In the Company of Men") is a rumpled sad sack who confesses that his favorite lover is himself. He's not kidding. After a failed sex session with Amy Brenneman, his unassuming wife, he masturbates beneath the covers while she curls in the fetal position and pretends to be asleep.

Ben Stiller is a pompous dramatics professor whose sex talk infuriates his lover, Catherine Keener. "Let's just do it," she growls in frustration, "I don't need the narration." Both try to augment their hollow love lives by seeking extracurricular partners. Ben invites Amy to have an affair with him, while Catherine cozies up to Nastassja Kinski, an artist's assistant at a local gallery. After they have sex and Kinski asks Keener which part of the lovemaking was her favorite, she replies, "I liked the silence best.''

"Your Friends and Neighbors" is often bleak and occasionally nightmarish, but also extremely funny. LaBute films his dark character study using a number of distancing devices. There are no exterior shots in the story's generic city, and the character's names are never spoken. As a result, we watch them with an almost clinical detachment, enabling us to laugh, rather than cry, at the foibles of the sextet.

The acting is quite good as well. Jason Patric's intensity has worked against him in previous films, but it's completely appropriate for this character, and he gives a blistering performance. His finest moment comes when he describes his most memorable sexual experience. In a four minute scene with no cuts, the camera moves ever closer to Patric's face as he delivers an absolutely riveting monologue recounting a violent sexual encounter that he remembers with great fondness. It's twisted, horrific and a terrific piece of acting.

Aaron Eckhart is exceptional as the antithesis of his "In the Company of Men" character, particularly during a wonderfully nuanced confrontational scene with his wife. Catherine Keener imbues her damaged character with a humanity that softens the cold words she speaks. Her facial expressions when Jason Patric verbally assaults her in a bookstore are heartbreaking. As the foppish professor, Ben Stiller is appropriately smarmy, while Nastassja Kinski gives her character a wispy, beguiling feel. Amy Brenneman also impresses as the most enigmatic of the group.

LaBute uses extended takes, stylistic repetition and variations of the same scene to give the film symmetry. Sometimes it works and sometimes it seems overly mannered. I've watched "Your Friends and Neighbors" three times and, at different points, viewed LaBute as a ferociously honest visionary and a smug elitist. I'm sure he would be delighted at my reactions. His ability to both enthrall and anger is testimony to his skills as a filmmaker and provocateur. Neil LaBute is the real deal and "Your Friends and Neighbors" is a hell of a movie.

    © 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott

The review above was posted to the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due to ASCII to HTML conversion.

Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews