SYNOPSICS
Four Friends (1981) is a English movie. Arthur Penn has directed this movie. Craig Wasson,Jodi Thelen,Michael Huddleston,Jim Metzler are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1981. Four Friends (1981) is considered one of the best Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
This story of four working-class kids in a small industrial town--who go their separate ways after high school in the innocence of 1961 and come together again at the end of the turbulent Sixties--is as much about the coming of age of America as it is about the changes the characters go through. The four friends of the title are thoughtful Danilo, a Yugoslavian immigrant with dreams of being a writer and a scholar; Tom, good-looking and athletic, who is bound for the army; cautious David who has mixed feelings about staying in town and joining the family mortuary business; and lovely, ditzy, exasperating Georgia, who tries to inspire all of them with her longings for a life of Bohemian adventure. It is told through the eyes of Danilo, whose story is loosely based on the writer Tesich's own life growing up in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Four Friends (1981) Reviews
A POWERFUL FILM ABOUT A TURBULENT ERA
Behind the nostalgic music, we see a young boy get off a train. He is arriving from Yugoslavia to meet his father, a man he has not seen in a decade. At the train station, we meet the man. He never smiles. Thus, we begin our journey into "Four Friends", Arthur Penn's powerful and amazing film. You may ask why I began my review that way. Well, that is the way the video box describes the film. You may have figured out that the film will be the story of the boy trying to get along with this emotionless man and eventually, he will peel away at his cover and expose the kindness. Well, if you bought that, I've got a bridge I want to sell you. You see, modern Hollywood would make that film. Penn has always been an outsider and has never resorted to typical cliched storytelling. He always tells interesting stories about people (his credits include "Bonnie and Clyde", "The Chase", "Alice's Restaurant" and the underrated "Mickey One") and "Four Friends" is no exception. A typical Hollywood film would focus on the boy who is named Danilo. But Steve Tesich's script only focuses on that for about 4 minutes and then abandons him. We meet the adult Danilo, played by Craig Wasson (whom you may recognize from "Body Double" and "Nightmare on Elm Street 3") and his friends, Tom, David and the passionate Georgia. The movie takes us throughout the Sixties. Now in a lesser film, the events would receive the attention. But in "Four Friends", these events happen, but Penn and Tesich is more concerned with character study than plot and I think the film is better that way. We know the events; we don't need to dwell on them again. I know I haven't described much of the plot, but I don't know if you can describe "Four Friends". It's not one of those "high-concept" films that can be described in a single sentence. It's a film of many moods and textures. It's also a genuinely emotional experience. The final twenty minutes of this film moved me to tears. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Rarely does a film have such power that it can reduce me to tears. The acting is first rate, especially by Craig Wasson, who seems to be one of the most underused actors working today. This is such a difficult, emotional performance and Wasson pulls it off. He should have received an Oscar for this. Another great performance is by Jodi Thelen, who has an even more difficult role than Wasson. But she handles it extremely well and gives Georgia a certain dignity most Hollywood actresses wouldn't (they'd be too scared to even try; they'd be more concerned with image rather than giving a great performance; that's not what acting is about). She also deserved an Oscar. "Four Friends" didn't receive much of a push in 1981. Maybe people just didn't have the emotional capacity to handle it. And clueless executives couldn't push it as another "American Graffiti" (it lacks the wallop of "Four Friends"). So they let it die. Too bad, for this is one of the very best films of the 1980s, a decade where more and more slick trash was created and great art like this was without a home. I ask you to give this film a chance. **** out of 4 stars
A wonderful must-see film...don't miss this one!
This film about four friends coming of age in the 60s is one of my favorite films of all time. The acting and script in this movie are unlike any you will ever see in another film. Jodi Thelen is perhaps the best young actress I have ever seen. She makes Georgia a truly unique, unforgettable character. I have to admit that I fell in love with Georgia AND Jodi after seeing this movie. Some of the dialogue spoken between the characters is like poetry (and some of it is poetry). Craig Wasson (one of my favorite actors...he's a natural actor, never fake) plays Danilo with such passion that's it easy to believe that he is an immigrant that comes to love America. This is on my list of top 10 best films of all time. Anyone who has seen this movie PLEASE write me! I can't find ANYONE around the south who has seen this film, much less anyone who loves it as much as I do.
Great flick
This movie is, yes, melodramatic, overdone, super-intense, and at times ridiculous. So what? It is a deep and touching exploration of human relationships that struggles to understand, from the very beginning of adulthood -- from the hopefulness of high school graduation to the emancipation of college graduation -- what it is that makes us individuals. And it takes us to a very disturbing conclusion that all of us -- idealists and cynics -- have to resolve: Life's hard. Real hard. Jodi Thelen is particularly effective as the Isadora Duncan-like free spirit who wants so badly to be taken seriously but can't seem to find an audience that really matters. And Craig Wasson plays a tender soul who clings to dear sanity as the craziness of the '60s wreaks havoc with his mind. See this movie; it reveals a great truth -- about relationships, about this country, about..... you.
One of my top 5 all time favorite films
I haven't seen this film for over 20 years, but it had such an impact on me that I remember sitting through the credits and for several minutes after in complete awe. This is one of the most underrated films of the entire decade in which it was originally released. I just ordered a copy of it on DVD and paid for overnight shipping and can't wait for it to arrive. It is uplifting at times, and also very dark and somewhat disturbing. It's a story of a close-knit band of regular kids growing up in the inner city and makes one feel as though they are actually sitting on the sidelines, rather than watching on a movie screen or television. Hard to explain, but it is something that must be experienced. The story starts at childhood and tracks the lives of the four main characters through high school and as they embark on their separate journeys in life. The entire cast did an incredible job and it's by far the best work of Jodi Thelen's career. I'm hoping that the DVD lives up to my memory and plan on watching it this Friday with a good friend.
Will some company PLEASE make a DVD of this film!???
Will some company PLEASE make a (good+) DVD of this film!??? Aside from being a wonderful film about relationships and friendships, "Four Friends" is the ONLY film I've ever seen -- And I have, literally, spent *years* of my life watching films! -- that captures the essence of the 60s experience (and I was there!): the idealism, the hope, the freedom, the confusion, the betrayals, and ultimately its upbeat but bittersweet denouement. And all of this is accomplished without being a story about any of the numerous upheavals of that era, although many are just touched upon... as part of the tapestry. But the story is primarily about the characters and their friendship over about 10~15 years... and that those survived and deepened, despite the tragedies of that turbulent decade. Absolutely a joy and must-see film... even if one's not an old hippie!!!