Your Friends and Neighbors; a film written and directed by Neil LaBute; starring Ben Stiller, Aaron Eckart, and Amy Brenneman; 1998; rated R

BYU alum Neil LaBute's new film, Your Friends and Neighbors, is a work of startling power. It tells the story of a small group of city-dwellers adrift in a sea of moral relativism. Ben Stiller plays a weaselly college drama teacher (the little beard, glasses, and job description of Stiller's character make me wonder if LaBute isn't self-laceratingly basing the character on stuff he doesn't admire about himself.) Aaron Eckhart, in a truly astonishing performance for those who saw him in LaBute's "In the Company of Men", plays a pathetic, clueless dork who is married to Amy Brenneman, a sweet but foolish woman who drifts into a humiliating sexual encounter with Stiller. Catherine Keener plays Stiller's girlfriend, a bitter woman who can't stand the sound of another human voice during intimate encounters. And Jason Patric plays the embodiment of pure male sexual aggression.

These characters proceed to betray and backstab one another in the most scary, hilarious way. They talk to each other in cliches and fragmented sentences; ironically the only clear, strong voice belongs to Patric. He delivers a couple of truly evil speeches proclaiming his warped view of life. Eckart asks Patric whether he thinks someday he will have to pay for the things he does in this life, and Patric responds, "Someday we may find out there is eternity and God and all that. But until then, we're on *my time*" (the modern attitude in a nutshell.)

There is strong language and strong sexual content in this movie, and almost all of the behavior is appallingly dysfunctional. This has caused some to label this a depressing film. I found it too darkly funny and clear-eyed to be a downer. I would describe it instead as deeply sad and compassionate, especially about the Brenneman character. One of LaBute's special gifts is to make you identify with his characters. I was horrified to see some of myself up there on the screen; you probably will too, unless you are almost ready to be translated. My own reaction was that I wanted to be better to people than what I had just witnessed.

Some of the critical response to this film has been very interesting. It presents a deeply conservative view of life and this has been picked up on by some reviewers who are apparently made uncomfortable by it. One wanted to know "who appointed this guy judge, jury and executioner." Another reviewer said that LaBute's Mormonism was obvious because of the shock he exhibits at the actions of his characters, and suggested that Labute "get over it" (almost the same words with which Keener cruelly ends her relationship with Stiller.) There is something rather creepily Clinton-esque about these responses, as if we are not supposed to be shocked by bad behavior nowadays. The measure of the shock you experience seeing Your Friends and Neighbors is the measure of LaBute's achievement.

(For two movies very similar in tone and style to this one, rent Mike Nichols Carnal Knowledge and Stanley Kubrick's Lolita.)

  R.W. Rasband
  Heber City, UT
  rrasband@yahoo.com