If Hollywood movies are to be believed, being in high school represents the most traumatic chapter in the life of most Americans. The protagonists of The Liars' Club, 1993 drama directed by Jeffrey Porter, seem to think the same because they are going to celebrate their high school graduation by big party staged by Pat (played by Brian Krause), football star and unofficial leader of the small band of best friends. Despite his girlfriend Kim (played by Jennifer Burns) being present at the party, Pat gets drunk and begins hitting on Kim's best friend Marla (played by Shevonne Durkin). His attempts of seduction soon escalate into rape. Next day Marla tells all to Pat's friends who are confused with her story. Jimbo (played by Michael Cudlitz), one of Pat's friends, decides to save his friend from jail and other complication and tries to coerce Marla into dropping the story. But that only leads to murder and the small circle of friends are now tragically torn with serious dilemma - whether to report the crime and ruin life-long friendships or simply to sweep tragic incidents under the carpet and spend lifetime of guilty conscience.
Made in Roger Corman's film workshop, The Liars' Club borrows much of its plot from 1980s teen angst classic River's Edge. While the comparisons between two films are not particularly flattering to The Liars' Club, this film stands out among most of 1990s Hollywood teen films, and not only because of the seriousness of its subject. The story is simple, the characters' dilemmas are clear and their reactions are quite realistic. The cast is mostly unknown (Will Wheaton, best known for his role of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, is an exception), but its performance is quite impressive. Jeffrey Porter directs film with ease and confidence. The ending of the film, however, is quite disappointing and deprives the film of the greatness. The Liars' Club is nevertheless good film for all those who wants a little bit more seriousness and realism in teen-themed films.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on February 12th 2004)
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