# Peter's Friends (1992)

### reviewed by
Jeff Meyer

                                   PETER'S FRIENDS
                                      [Spoilers]
                             A film review by Jeff Meyer
                              Copyright 1992 Jeff Meyer

Not wanting to get into a full-blown review of the new British film starring Hugh Laurie, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson and Peter Fry (I hope I have these names right), I have only a few notes:

    Oblique spoilers follow:

* About halfway through the film, I thought, "I hate those films that center around a group of friends with all sorts of problems, who resolve their problems neatly and tidely by the end of the film." At the end of the film, I thought, "Gee, I wish all their problems had been resolved neatly and tidely at the end of the film." My god, I *am* an American film-goer. (However, there are some problems with this ending.)

* As one of those "where are we now" films, it is as witty as to meet (and pass by a bit) the minimum requirements for such a film. The characters, with the exception of the American wife of Branagh's character, are pretty fully fleshed out -- it is variable. (It's odd to see Laurie in a film where he doesn't say "Whoops!" in a very loud voice. Not to mention having Fry around him and not doing Jeeves.) Branagh is competent, but not wonderful.

* One exception to the above statement: Emma Thompson is *brilliant*. While other actors wait for their dialogue to fill in their character, Thompson manages to completely and totally describe the woman she's playing through body language. Now there's your Best Actress nominee, kids -- forget Michelle Pfieffer.

* I find it interesting that scenes of social embarrassment make me want to crawl underneath my theater seat; but Ahnold turning a camp of [fill in your generic force of nasties here] doesn't even slow my hand for popcorn. PETER'S FRIENDS is not very real to me in some aspects, and very real to me in others.

Uhhh ... you want to know whether to see it or not? I got in free. Well, let's just say that if you haven't seen HOWARD'S END yet this year, go see that instead. However, if it's this or THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN (Our Motto: You Don't Need To Be A Psychic To Know Where This Film Goes!), either go see PETER'S FRIENDS, or go to a rendition of Handel's "Messiah."

    ---
                                            Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
    INTERNET:     moriarty@tc.fluke.COM
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