Friday, October 7, 2016

'Friends' Effing Friends Effing Friends' VOD: "New Girl" Meets Woody Allen


The Gravitas Ventures October 11, 2016 VOD release of the 2016 comedy "Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends" is both a good companion to the August 20216 Gravitas release of the Millennial dystopia drama "There is a New World Somewhere" and the early '70s Woody Allen films on which the father of "Friends" writer/director/voice actor Quincy Rose worked. 

A personal cool element of "Friends" is finding on reading the statement of Rose in the press materials that thoughts regarding this movie coincide with his mindset while making it. Understanding the artistic vision of a film is always a good thing. This theme relates to the tangled relationships between friendship and sexual desire as well as the theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that essentially shows that man (and woman) is never happy despite how good he (or she) has it.

The Millennial vibe of "Friends" begins with the opening scene in the way cool retro-style bar that looks like the hangout in the 20-soemethings-oriented Foxcom "New Girl." BFFs from childhood openly (and hilariously) discussing their pre-adolescent mutual sex play to the amusement of Steve's live-in girlfriend Laura further establishes that our leads are open-minded close friends.

The catalysts for the ensuing moderately hot drama include Laura introducing freelance editor Jacob to friend/aspiring author Sarah and Steve pushing the limits of his "don't ask/don't tell" relationship with Laura by starting an affair with a woman who is more than Ms. Right Now. 

Having the proposed book by Saarh focus on the contributions of her grandfather to the "scale of sexuality" research by Kinsey is very apt for this film.

Good guy but relationship-shy Jacob quickly develops strong chemistry with Sarah but is attracted to her hot and flirty roommate Camille. The encouragement of Steve to pursue Camille does not help matters.

Roughly the next hour of "Friends" focuses on the titular activity of this group and their justifications for the associated directed and indirect betrayals. As Rose observes in the aforementioned statement, we all can justify doing what (or whom) we want to and (in true Allen style) fail to consider the impact of our actions on others. In other words, something feeling good does not always justify doing it. Said consequences adds a deeper meaning to the "effing" portion of the title of the film. It further proves that you can both "ef" 'em and tell 'em a joke.

Highlights include the very live-stage feel to all the dialogue, the brotalk between Steve an Jacob, and a very high school style discussion regarding trying to learn the extent of the sexy activity on a memorable night that three of our Gang of Five share.

This being 2016, the amusing ending reflects modern Hollywood. Everyone is a little wiser but not essentially a happier; one spoiler is that the film does not end with a wedding in which our quintet joins hands and dances or skips around accompanied by a Motown or '70s soft rock hit.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Friends" is welcome to email me; you can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.





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