The Liars' Club

This is one of the best films of the 90's if not the history of cinema. Some of the finest young actors give their all in this powerful screen depiction of American youth. See this film and witness in awe the intense qualities of Soleil Moon Frye and Will Wheaton. Mind blowing and inspiring in every aspect. When you sit in front of your video screen, and watch this classic, make sure you get a six pack of beer and some weed, because without these items, you might not feel like paying attention to the small details that make this a masterpiece. The subtle movements and expressions of the actors and the seemingly natural dialogue make you wonder if the filmmakers actually intended the work to be so real, or if everything fell into place accidentally. Absolutely a unique and captivating piece of cinema.

This movie is like an afterschool special with violence and bad language added. It is good, however, when addressing the "loyalty" kids have for each other. The rule is, never snitch on a friend, no matter what. The question is, who are you being loyal to? A person who could rape or murder someone is not someone you should be loyal to. He's someone who could turn on you. You might have thought he was your friend, but how well did you really know him? What else is he capable of doing? Should you be loyal to a person like that? Would a person like this, have the same loyalty for you when the chips are down? The uncompromising ending is a good lesson for teenagers, without being preachy. I suggest parents show their teenagers this film when talking to them about "loyalty" and how far it should go.

This could have been a very good film, but it was poorly done from the beginning. Wil Wheaton, best known as Gordie from Stand By Me (a well played role), and the very annoying Wesley Crusher from Star Trek The Next Generation was not the best selection for the starring role. A decent actor, he is better in supporting roles. Soleil Moon Frye, Televisions Punky Brewster, turns in a solid performance. The script is not the best, however, and the directing and story development (including cinematography and atmosphere creation) should have been done much better. Really, it's a pretty dull film.

Nearly a success, but a film that fails due to important factors being invisible at times. "The Liars' Club" is a film about a high school quarterback (Brian Krause) that has the world on a string. He is about to graduate and a scholarship to Notre Dame is likely to mean the start of an imminently great life. However, one drunken night turns that around as he rapes friend Shevonne Durkin at a local party. Durkin is in a dilemma and it appears that she may point the accusing finger at the young star. Mutual friends Will Wheaton, Michael Cudlitz, Aaron Eisenberg, and Soleil Moon Frye (yes, of "Punky Brewster" fame) learn of Krause's and Durkin's relationship at the party. Krause admits that he had sex with Durkin, but denies the rape charges. The tension builds as the group tries to hide the situation from Krause's girlfriend (Jennifer Burns) and the possibility of Durkin going to the authorities becomes a major concern as well. Cudlitz believes that Durkin must be scared into staying quiet and accidentally stabs the young lady. The group of friends now must stick together to save Cudlitz and keep Krause out of the line of fire as well. "The Liars' Club" is one of those could-have-been films that fails due to typical teen film clichés that get in the way of some good performances and some legitimate chemistry among the key players. Krause, Burns and Cudlitz are particularly good, but the others struggle to keep the intensity up. The direction becomes a bit unsteady mid-way through and it feels like the screenwriters did not really know how to bring everything together in the end. For the budget and the lack of important resources, "The Liars' Club" is still a noble and interesting work. However with all this said, the film still fails to be as good as it likely could have been. 2 stars out of 5.

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I thought that everything was very well put together, like the screenplay, camera direction, etc. Wil Wheaton is my favorite actor and I think he done an amazing job in this film. I think that they picked the perfect actors for each part. The dramatic music in it was very cool and creepy. It reminded me of some cheesy horror film. The script I think was also very good and so was the direction. The first 15 minutes isn't exactly PG but after you get passed that it could be a good movie for young teens. Especially if there wasn't so much cussing. It really makes you decide how far you would go to keep a secret for a friend. Definitely recommend to anybody who is going through a tough time with a friend or anybody who likes a deep dramatic film. 10/10