If you've ever hosted or been invited to a reunion you'll recognise a lot in this film. The excited expectations of catching up with people you were great friends with many years ago, followed by the reality that as years go by, life has changed for all of you. You want everyone to be the same, but they're not.
Peter invites a group of his old university friends to a party at his recently deceased father's mansion. The friends have not all seen each other since they graduated in 1982, although have individually stayed in touch during that time.
As with this type of film things don't go according to the host's plans as the lives of each member of the group are revealed - Roger and Mary have suffered an enormous tragedy, losing a baby to cot death, and as a couple are not dealing with how it has affected their relationship. Andrew has married his sitcom star wife Carol and lives in California, their marriage isn't a happy one in-spite of wealth and success. Maggie is a lonely spinster in love with Peter who doesn't reciprocate. Sarah basically beds unavailable men and brings her latest one, Brian, to the party. When his life becomes all too real (he's married with a child), the relationship falls apart and he goes back home.
The only person who you think doesn't have events going on in their life seems to be Peter, only revealing to the rest of the group, and us the audience that he his HIV positive. The way this announcement is dealt with in the film really dates it. In 1992 HIV was still a big and controversial issue, and was in many ways still considered a death sentence. If the film was made and set now in 2017 Peter's announcement would have basically 0 shock value.
The script isn't laugh out loud funny but is witty in that way British comedy films usually are - a mix of self-deprecation, sarcasm and one liners.
I first watched this way back in about 1993 and at that time I considered it to be one of my favourite films. I was 15 at the time, and wasn't really into a lot of the films my peers were into!
25 years after it was made I still really enjoy Peter's Friends although now I can see some flaws - it is a bit of a "love-in" of Kenneth Branagh's friends, a bit too sentimental and mushy in places, as well as slightly slow in the middle.
A good, but not exceptional British comedy.
Peter invites a group of his old university friends to a party at his recently deceased father's mansion. The friends have not all seen each other since they graduated in 1982, although have individually stayed in touch during that time.
As with this type of film things don't go according to the host's plans as the lives of each member of the group are revealed - Roger and Mary have suffered an enormous tragedy, losing a baby to cot death, and as a couple are not dealing with how it has affected their relationship. Andrew has married his sitcom star wife Carol and lives in California, their marriage isn't a happy one in-spite of wealth and success. Maggie is a lonely spinster in love with Peter who doesn't reciprocate. Sarah basically beds unavailable men and brings her latest one, Brian, to the party. When his life becomes all too real (he's married with a child), the relationship falls apart and he goes back home.
The only person who you think doesn't have events going on in their life seems to be Peter, only revealing to the rest of the group, and us the audience that he his HIV positive. The way this announcement is dealt with in the film really dates it. In 1992 HIV was still a big and controversial issue, and was in many ways still considered a death sentence. If the film was made and set now in 2017 Peter's announcement would have basically 0 shock value.
The script isn't laugh out loud funny but is witty in that way British comedy films usually are - a mix of self-deprecation, sarcasm and one liners.
I first watched this way back in about 1993 and at that time I considered it to be one of my favourite films. I was 15 at the time, and wasn't really into a lot of the films my peers were into!
25 years after it was made I still really enjoy Peter's Friends although now I can see some flaws - it is a bit of a "love-in" of Kenneth Branagh's friends, a bit too sentimental and mushy in places, as well as slightly slow in the middle.
A good, but not exceptional British comedy.