Worst Friends (2014)

I'm not even sure how I decided on this particular movie, it has no recognizable stars, I've never heard of the director, and the plot summary was less than original: a directionless twenty-something is forced to take care of his old high school buddy after he's abandoned by his jackass father after injuries sustained in a car accident. Not exactly ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND in the originality department...but nonetheless it had a high rating on IMDb and AMAZON and some good reviews, so I gave it a shot. I'm glad that I did because this little indie gem exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Yes, it's rough around the edges, the production team clearly didn't have much of a budget, but like CLERKS it gets by on solid character, witty dialogue, and unlike CLERKS, fantastic performances from the unknown cast. Richard Tanne is scarily good as the crude and domineering friend we all know and love to hate. Noah Barrow as Sam is the relatable everyman and he sells every emotional moment that is required of him. And lastly, Larry Fessenden steals his scenes playing a New Jersey used car salesman who might just win the award for worst movie dad of all-time. Over the course of the one friend's recovery, the two characters reveal themselves to be more foes than friends and they begin to challenge each other and fight. SPOILER ALERT: They don't really resolve things, but instead resolve to leave each other alone for the rest of their lives. This ending wasn't entirely satisfying, which is why I'm deducting two stars, but at the same time, it is realistic, so I understand why the choice was made. Overall, this movie is well worth trying out because it's funny and dark with great performances.

Was rated 8.3 by 23 people when I decided to watch this fertilizer-bomb. 22 of those people were obviously homeless alcoholics who were reward with a bottle of Thunderbird in return for a high star-rating. I was especially floored by the terrible actor who was cast as a grade D Jack Nicholson look-a-like. Please, you've only got one life, do not spend 2 hours of it on this wretched movie. Lilly, the physical therapist is cute. Too bad the actress had an early debut in this disaster. I am struggling to find anything else positive to day about Worst Friends... was about to offer, as a positive, that it is not subtitled, but if it were subtitled, we wouldn't hear the awful script.

When Jake (Richard Tanne) is injured in a car accident, the only person willing to take care of him is his childhood friend Sam (Noah Barrow). With the aid of a tough-as-nails physical therapist (Cody Horn), Sam helps Jake recuperate, but when Sam's high school crush (Kristen Connolly) enters the picture, old habits and bitter rivalries resurface, threatening to tear their friendship apart.While there are no A-list stars in this film, it has more than enough A-minus stars to make up the differences. Plenty of faces you will recognize, even if you are not quite sure why. The biggest name is likely Kristen Connolly, a regular on "House of Cards". And then there is Larry Fessenden, something of a living legend for writing, directing and acting in independent features.The writer must be commended, for not only making the story interesting and humorous, but including references to "Rear Window" and "Misery", as well as (apparently) Wendell McAdams, a pinball machine creator. For reasons unknown, audiences love to pick up hints of a shared reference.While the first half of the film deserves a 7, it ultimately gets only a 6 because of the rest of the film. For as great as it starts, and as humorous as it is, it becomes rather serious as the story progresses. Now, of course, there is some moral to the story that must be told, but it comes at the cost of viewing enjoyment. Still a worthwhile film, overall, and one that should do well.

Downloaded it tonight, liked it a lot. There's some laughs, there's some tears, all-around good flick. Basically a guy is hit by an incoming ice cream truck and when his low-life dad skips town, his friend from growing up has to nurse him back to health. To say they don't get along is under-selling it. They pretty much hate each other from the start, which was one of the things I didn't fully understand, but I guess there are just some people like that in life. The main character will remind you of everyone you loved to hate growing up. You know that sound Jim Carrey makes as the most annoying sound in the world in Dumb and Dumber? That's this guy for pretty much the entire movie, but it's that way for a reason, you'll see. 7/10