DVD Reviews

Frenemy – DVD Review

By Frankie Dees Jan 6, 2011, 2:39 GMT

After a group of friends witness a horrifying crime, they wonder how they were lucky enough to escape, unharmed, while one friend did not. Through this self-discovery they start to understand the meaning of their own hilarious yet twisted fate. As their time starts to run out, the chance at redemption isn\'t too far behind. ...more

Wow, ‘Frenemy,’ once known under the better title ‘Little Fish, Strange Pond,’ is as tedious as they come. Set up as a dark comedy of sorts, the darkness is inane and the comedy non-existent. And despite Zach Galifianakis being prominent in the packaging, don’t be fooled, this film has little to do with him.

No, this film is about a couple of chucklehead friends Mr. Jack and Sweet Stephen  (Matthew Modine and Callum Blue) in L.A. who prize themselves on sitting around and having heavy-handed, long-winded existential conversations about life, death, blah, blah, blah.

As they wax on obnoxiously, surreal incidents unfold around them including getting caught up in a porn store robbery - where Zach Galifianakis plays the whiny store owner. We also get some bizarre murder sequences and bum fights where Adam Baldwin (being reunited with ‘Full Metal Jacket’ costar Modine…now I’m really depressed) is completely wasted as a boozer cop.

If you’re wondering how this all connects, well don’t. I’m not saying it doesn’t connect, I’m just saying you won’t care.

Modine as Mr. Jack speaks with a fake British accent for the entire film in a move that I’m assuming was intended to be funny but rather just adds to the annoyance. In fact, the only thing funny about this film is the blurb on the back of the packaging that reads ‘A David Lynch meets Kevin Smith style, with a dash of Tarantino’.

I suppose if you take the bare minimum of what those filmmakers have to offer, then yes, ‘Frenemy’ compares.

The film is presented with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks okay but is obviously at the mercy of the low-budget constraints of the film. Not surprisingly, there are no extras outside of a Lionsgate trailer gallery. Whaa? I thought for sure Galifianakis would throw in a commentary.

I’ll finish up on a positive note. The film does happen to stumble upon a witty line or two although even this serves as a back-handed compliment as the 80-minute running time is basically just incessant dialogue. Unless bizarre and ineffective is what you’re looking for, skip this one.

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