As I watched this film, I noticed the distinct acidity in
my mouth, which I'm sure the director of "Your Friends and Neighbors" was looking for. However, I found myself feeling irritated by the "clever" devices used in the film. For example, using the "artist's assistant" scene over and over to tell us a little about each person's character, is a trite and "cute" trick, employed many times before in films- and better. Worse yet, the scenes didn't show me anything "new" about the characters that I > didn't already know. Worse yet, the Jason Patric character, while well- acted, was a far too obvious one.
I already knew what his problem was long before the "pseudo-confessional" sauna scene. I mean, what a surprise. In fact, I was stunned to hear LINES I'd heard and read years ago, in this scene. This was obviously the big set-piece, the Oscar-baiting scene every actor dreams about, but I was waiting to hear him say something original. If this was supposed to be "insightful", then give me a break. The characters I didn't understand, were Amy Brenneman and her big, lunky husband. Since (gasp) "Insight 101" was the prevailing theme of this film, what was the deal with this pair? Eternal boredom, or not enough work-outs at the gym? Were the "pregnant pauses' at the dinner table supposed to remind me of a Bergman film? These silences held only dead air- not meaning. It didn't take long before I didn't care. While I'm sure that the director/writer wanted us to know that these outwardly sharp and clever people were dysfunctional in their relationships (surprise)- I wanted something new.
And might I mention- "La Ronde" has already been made, and so very much better.
