The story is actually quite fresh and tight-knit. Bernadette (Alyssa Lobit, who also wrote the screenplay) is throwing an 80s-themed murder mystery dinner party — and all of her friends are invited! But just as the party gets going, the real meat of the evening is exposed and rest assured, these ‘friends’ aren’t exactly what they seem. See, Bernadette (don’t call her Bernie) has been planning this for a long time and she’s going to make sure everything is laid out on the table — secrets, lies, betrayal, fingers, what have you. And it’s not just about the reveal. It’s about the bloody revenge and retribution. And we are right there along for the ride.
With one or two exceptions, this cast of characters is extremely unlikable, as they probably should be. It’s a group of L.A. beautiful people, from the party-hard lesbian actress, Jules (Brianne Davis), and her ‘recovering’ drug addict brother, Adam (AJ Bowen), to the seemingly sweet Sara (Kamala Jones — who looked a hell of a lot like Suzanne Snyder in her 80s get-up) and the bitchy-ish Melanie (Jennifer Blanc). Throw in a couple douchey guys and a missing friend, Lily (Dana Daurey), and that about rounds out this circle of so-called friends.
And like any good horror movie, Among Friends has its fair share of cameos — and clever ones at that — including: Kane Hodder, Michael Biehn (Jennifer Blanc’s real life beau) and the director herself in one especially cheeky appearance.
Bottom Line
While Among Friends is by no means perfect, Danielle Harris should be pleased with her first stab at directing — and Alyssa Lobit should be proud of her razor-sharp story. Sure, the editing wasn’t great and for an 86 min movie, it felt longer. But you know what this flick was? Fun to watch. It was goofy and gory and kept me curious throughout. It was fun. And isn’t that the point?