I recently had a chance to watch the video of Friends And Lovers. The real reason that I wanted to watch it was that Claudia Schiffer was in it. Basically I wasted my viewing time. What could have been a very funny story ended up being mundane and horribly "done before".
Ian, Jon, David, Keaton and Lisa are all best buds who own a restaurant together. Ian's estranged father invites him and his pals up to a chateau in the mountains to ski for Christmas. Everyone is thrilled except Ian. The gang sets out for the ski trip.
On the trip there is Jon (Stephen Baldwin) and Carla (Claudia Schiffer), a model that Jon wants to bed down. There is also Keaton (Neil Barry) and his very pregnant sister Jane (Suzanne Cryer). Then comes David (Danny Nucci) who is gay but has never had sex with a guy. And lastly, there is the gang's gal pal, Lisa (Alison Eastwood). Ian's father Richard is played by David Rasche.
On the way to Richard's place Jon and Carla pick up Hans (Robert Downey, Jr.) a German ski instructor.
The film centers on musical beds. Jon wants Carla but she keeps him away with lines like "I'm the kind of girl you marry." Yuck! There is some over the top energy between Ian and Jane. Lisa and Keaton gravitate towards an up close and personal relationship. And poor David is just trying to find a boyfriend.
Ian's muddled dealings with his father only get the patented dysfunctional treatment here. You know the old "You're here now but where were you when I was growing up and need you" syndrome.
The film was really pretty silly. The only saving grace was the over the top performance by Robert Downey, Jr. You had to know that he had a blast with his character.
And I really like Danny Nucci in his role as Manny on the ABC show Snoops (which I just found out was cancelled.Grrh!!). But I thought his role in this film was one dimensional and pretty forgettable.
As for my main reason to watch this film? Claudia Schiffer puts in a pretty lame performance. Either she's not a good actress or the material wasn't worthy of her talent.
If you have nothing better to watch, then Friends And Lovers will fill the void. But if you're looking for a good romance film, pass on this one. Back