Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pagePeter's Friends (1992)
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Six old friends from the Cambridge Footlights are reunited after a decade for New Year's Eve, and take stock of what happened to their dreams, characters and relationships. The witty script isn't pitched much above sitcom standard, but a couple of the performances are terrifically good. Maggie (Thompson) is in publishing, palpably lonely, and so desperate for a lover that she bounds at prospects like a puppy, while Sarah (Emmanuel) has a turnover rate that is something like Catherine the Great's. Peter (Fry), now a Lord and hosting the party at his generously-dimensioned stately home, never fulfilled his literary promise, nor did Andrew (Branagh), who sold out to Hollywood and has returned accompanied by a laminated LA wife (Rudner). Roger (Laurie) and Mary (Staunton) live lives of quiet desperation after the death of a child. Acting honours go to Staunton for her extraordinary emotional depths, and to Thompson for her super-gawky eccentricity. Branagh's drunk scene doesn't work, and most will guess the pay-off, but it's an amiable enterprise.Author: BC
Cast & crew
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Producer: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Rita Rudner, Tony Slattery, Richard Briers full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 101 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now