ROLL-M |
Your Friends and Neighbors (starring Jason Patric, Nastassja Kinski, Ben Stiller, Catherine Keener, Aaron Eckhart, Amy Brenneman written and directed by Neil LaBute; Rated R)Funny thing, this MPAA rating system. How does a film about mathematics, with a minimal amount of violence (see the review of p ) end up with an "R" rating, while Your Friends and Neighbors, which is all about sex (have I got your attention yet?) and not much else – also earns an R? Go figure.Having been warned, please be advised that this review will be rated G. There will be no "F" words, please, we’re Mensans.Okay, enough teasing. Down to business. Your Friends and Neighbors is a film functioning on two levels. There’s the "musical beds" aspect, which some might even call the plot. No frills here – just three bored couples swapping mates. A mix-and-match six pack (the genders sometimes get scrambled, too). The other level deals with the characterizations, and although at times it’s hard to tell who’s sleeping with whom, the actors are not at fault. Their performances are superb, so well done, in fact, the audience may begin to feel a bit like voyeurs. The main problem is the film’s nihilism. There is no point to what we see. Sex is discussed, analyzed, dissected, bragged about and even rehearsed (in the opening scene). It’s sort of on a par with rearranging furniture. No one in this group seems to care about love much, just finding better sex.Strangely, there are no really erotic sequences in the film, and all the sex scenes take place under covers – there’s not even any real nudity. Why then, did I feel like I’d accidentally turned on the Spice channel? Visually, the movie is also a bit claustrophobic; the director uses no exterior shots – only indoor sets such as bedrooms, an art gallery (a particularly well-done sequence with Kinski), and a steam room; we’re never really certain where this takes place (although New York City seems likely).Okay, we’re all grownups here. You might enjoy this – just leave the kids at home. Maybe you could get one of your friends or neighbors to watch them. On second thought, maybe not.THREE OWLS (out of five)