Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Poison Friends (2006)

Director: Emmanuel Bourdieu

3
Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Chicago

Long after it’s forgotten as a festival favorite, Poison Friends may be remembered for André Morney (Vinçon), who is, quite simply, one of the most repugnant social climbers ever unleashed onscreen. Looking like Dirty Harry’s Scorpio, he’s the kind of man who insults someone’s shoes for no reason whatsoever. Over the course of the film, André befriends, then systematically berates, the other students in a college literature class, encouraging them not to publish their stories and novels because—as a way of disguising his own incompetence—he argues that true intellectuals don’t write. And for some reason, they believe him, even when he pushes one of them (Steiger) to lie on a résumé. Simply by reiterating his antiwriting credo, André persuades his “friend” Eloi (Zidi) to burn the love letter he writes to Marguerite (Régnier). Later, André plagiarizes his thesis and has the temerity to slap his professor (Bonnaffé) when it’s rejected. Yet the prof still gives André a diploma. Poison Friends subscribes to the not-entirely-bogus notion that confidence trumps all. Even so, outside of movieland, any sentient being would immediately recognize André as a shit. As his schemes develop, the film falls into a predictable pattern of chortles (at his behavior) and forehead slaps (at others’ reactions). It’s an agreeably nasty drama that, by virtue of the high pitch of its absurdity, nearly morphs into an agreeably dark comedy.

Author: Ben Kenigsberg 2007-07-02 21:51:19

Time Out Chicago Issue 117: May 24-May 30, 2007


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade

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'

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

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'

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 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'?

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'

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'

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

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

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