A Small Circle of Friends

Plot

Pumped up with energy to spare in its first half, this is an otherwise routine drama about a love triangle set in the turbulent late '60s on the Harvard campus. Harvard takes a remote backseat though, as Leo (Brad Davis) chases after Jessica (Karen Allen) while buddy Nick (Jameson Parker) also nurses a crush on her. Leo is in journalism, or wants to be, Jessica paints but she is leaning toward law school, and Nick is a solid, steady pre-med student. Their relationship takes a serious turn when Leo's number comes up on the Vietnam draft. Nick makes his feelings known to Jessica and whether it seems like a good idea or not, she suggests that the three of them move in together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Review

This lesser-known entry in the "campus life in the 1960's" subgenre is a modest but effective piece of work. Exra Sacks' screenplay uses a conventional romantic-triangle scenario to anchor its tale of the tumultuous 1960's but it doesn't feel like a cliché. In fact, it does a nice job of giving shape to the complex array of social concerns the film covers by giving them a human face. Indeed, the film's most effective moments are the ones that convey the emotion behind the social unrest: highlights include an uneasy scene where the male students watch the Vietnam "draft lottery" on t.v. as they hope not to be called and an unnerving scene where a jittery Brad Davis goes to visit a group of domestic terrorists at their hideout. Karen Allen and Jameson Parker give solid performances as the two leads who anchor the story but the film belongs to Davis, who gives an all-stops-out performance that conveys the dizzying passion and sense of possibility that defines the film's scenario. There is also noteworthy work in character roles from Harry Caesar as a school cook who grieves when his son is sent to Vietnam and John Friedrich as a young student who undergoes a metamorphosis from Eagle scout to revolutionary. Finally, Rob Cohen acquits himself nicely in the director's chair, getting earnest performances from his cast and making excellent use of real Harvard locations to give the film's events a convincing backdrop. His work further benefits from a stirring orchestral score by Jim Steinman that ably supports the film's romantic take on the travails of its protagonists. The end result doesn't break new ground for this type of drama but is also less pretentious and more entertaining than films of this type often are. In short, A Small Circle Of Friends is the one of the more viewer-friendly films of the post-1960's post-mortem variety. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Cast

• Brad Davis - Leo DaVinci
• Karen Allen - Jessica Bloom
• Jameson Parker - Nick Baxter
• Shelley Long - Alice
• John Friedrich - Alex Haddox

Gary Springer - Greenblatt; Harry Caesar - Jimmy, the Cook; Nan Martin - Mrs. Baxter; Daniel Stern - Crazy Kid; Jason Laskay - Dorm Proctor; Jamie Squire - Karate Student; Mary Margaret Amato - Girl in Shower; David Hollander; Frank Rich - Crimson Editors; Pamela Cresant - Underground Woman; Nick Kairis - Army Doctor; Severn Darden - Art Professor; Jonathan Moore - Dean; Nancy Penoyer - Karate Instructor; Deborah Offner - Sarah; John Peters - Rizzo; Doug Llewelyn; Jeanetta Arnette; Richard Nelson - Harry Norris; Annie McGuire

Credit

Michael Haley - First Assistant Director, Rob Cohen - Director, Randy Roberts - Editor, Jim Steinman - Composer (Music Score), Steven Morgoshes - Musical Arrangement, Steven Morgoshes - Musical Direction/Supervision, Joel Schiller - Production Designer, Michael C. Butler - Cinematographer, Tim Zinnemann - Producer, Nicolas Laborczy - Set Designer, Rick Simpson - Set Designer, Al Kemper - Set Designer, Lawrence James Cavanaugh - Special Effects, Joe Lombardi - Special Effects, Rudi Liszczak - Special Effects, Ezra Sacks - Screenwriter

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