Peter’s Friends

Though the film has been suffused with a number of overwrought and downright melodramatic elements, Peter’s Friends nevertheless comes off as a surprisingly entertaining little flick that benefits substantially from the almost uniformly stellar performances (co-writer Rita Rudner is competent, certainly, but hardly at the level of her comparatively masterful castmates). The story follows a group of college friends who reunite for a weekend at Peter’s (Stephen Fry) palatial estate, where past arguments and forgotten conflicts quickly bubble their way to the surface. Filmmaker Kenneth Branagh has infused Peter’s Friends with a fluid visual sensibility that effectively prevents the proceedings from adopting the kind of static and stagy vibe that one sometimes associates with movies of this ilk, yet there’s never a point at which Branagh’s directorial choices take away from the character-driven, intimate nature of Rudner and Martin Bergmann’s screenplay. It consequently goes without saying that some of these subplots are far more interesting than others, with the portrayal of jingle-writers Roger (Hugh Laurie) and Mary’s (Imelda Staunton) crumbling marriage clear the most intriguing (and surprisingly heartfelt) aspect of the movie. And while it’s impossible to deny the downright pat manner with which Rudner and Bergmann wrap up the various stories – each character seems to arrive at a life-changing revelation during the same 24-hour period – Peter’s Friends generally remains an affable piece of work that’s surely a must for fans of the assorted performers.

*** out of ****