Your Friends and Neighbors
directed by Neil LaBute
starring Jason Patric, Nastassja Kinski and Ben Stiller
Sometimes you think you have seen it all and you can not be shocked. Your Friends and Neighbors has some scenes that shock. Even more important, the overall impact is so cynical and depressing that the whole is even more unsettling than the parts.
Your Friends and Neighbors has a great cast, including Jason Patric (Cary), Ben Stiller (Jerry), Nastassja Kinski (Cheri), Amy Brenneman (Mary), Aaron Eckhart (Barry), and Catherine Keener (Terri). Human intimacy is the main currency of this film, which leads to infidelity, misogyny, and self-hatred. Sexual contact is at the forefront of the material, so don’t go if you are squeamish about relentless sex talk. Don’t go if frank, naked depictions of relationships make you squirrelly. The producer, Jason Patric as a woman-hating stud who reveals a big secret to his friends in the steam room, takes the real plum role in this ensemble. Written and directed by Neil Labute, who had a huge critical hit last year with his first film, In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors is just as mean-spirited. It may be hard to take, but it is as refreshing as aftershave.
