A Friend to Die For

When Miramount High School cheerleader Kirsten Costas ran across the street from her front yard in Orinda, California in June 1984 having been fatally stabbed by her schoolmate Bernadette Protti and seeking help from her neighbor she probably had no idea that this review would be written. The way it happened was this: Randall Sullivan of ROLLING STONE Magazine wrote a moving article about the case (focusing largely on Bernadette Protti's dramatic confession to the police) that appeared in print about a year after the murder had occurred and was published with the title "Death of a Cheerleader". The story got such attention that Sullivan was hired to write a screenplay for a made-for-t.v. movie after Protti was paroled, depicting the events fictitiously. It was first aired on NBC as A FRIEND TO DIE FOR, but has also been aired on cable television, both under its original title and under the title of the article that inspired it. In the film, Tori Spelling loosely por- trays Costas as snobby Stacy Lockwood; Kellie Martin loosely portrays Protti as Angela Delveccio and Orinda is replaced with the fictional town of Santa Mira, California. The murder is depicted in the opening scene and the action then reverts to the life of Delveccio over the course of about a year. Although she firsts tries to cover up what she did, the depth and sincerity of the remorse that she eventually expresses are very moving. This film is worth watching several times.

"A Friend to Die For" was a very good TV movie. Based on a true story, it tells the story of a young girl who murders a more popular classmate.

Both the young leads did a great job in their roles. The story opens with the actual murder and then launches into the story surrounding it. So effective in her role as the bitchy Stacy is the always attractive Tori Spelling that you almost start to lose sympathy for her as a victim as the movie progresses. It's a big change for her from her role as the sweet, perky Doanna Martin on 90210. Kellie Martin, who is both beautiful and talented, does an equally awesome job as Angela; she is a little too shy, a little too poor and WAY too eager to fit in with the "right" crowd. As wrong as her actions were, you find yourself sympathizing with her. Although she handled her anger and hurt in a very wrong way, the emotions brought on by her treatment at the hands of Stacy (which was also wrong) were real and understandable. By the end of the movie I found myself feeling sad for everyone involved and thinking how different things could have and should have been. IT makes you wonder what went wrong with these two girls that Stacy had no respect for those different or less popular than herself and that Angela felt so badly about herself that she needed Stacy's friendship and approval to feel worthwhile.

A little research will provide you with some interesting information on the actual case. I found it very telling that a friend of the "real" Stacy (Kirsten Costas) dismissed any suggestions that Kristen and her crowd were mean-spirited bullies with the comment "She was only mean to people she didn't care about." How sad that young people today have the attitude that it is OK to mistreat people you don't like. While Kirsten didn't deserve to die and the hands of Bernadette Protti (the "real" Angela), her superior "I am better than you and therefore I shall make you an object of my amusement" attitude is far too prevalent today.

I think Kellie Martin should have won an Emmy for this film. She plays Angela, a pretty but mousy-type attending a wealthy-area high school. She wants to fit in with the rich, snobby, popular crowd but is not like them herself. She comes from a large, devoutly Catholic family who "have what they need" but little else. Angela tries out for cheerleader and fails, for the Writers' Club and fails, even though she's a good writer, and this destroys her self-esteem. Add to that her wanting desperately to befriend the most popular girl in school Stacy (Tori Spelling), who is also the meanest and snobbiest, and being cruelly rejected as weird. You totally sympathize with Angela and see how she could have been driven to such a desperate act. Martin's riveting performance continues post-tragedy, as you see the guilt eating her up inside. This is truly an awesome made-for-TV movie. I highly recommend it.

Angela Delvecchiois is a young girl who comes from quite a poor family. When she moves to a rich town called Montevista with her family, she of course wants to be accepted and to become friends with everyone, including Stacy, the leader of the most prestigious clique at her new high school. Angela really admirers Stacy. After Stacy makes fun of a strange girl named Monica though, Angela defends her, which leaves Angela becoming Stacys target to pick on. Still wanting to become friends with Stacy, Angela makes up a story in order to meet Stacy. When they do meet, Angela tells Stacy that she really likes her and than asks Stacy to come to a party with her. Stacy refuses and tells Angela that she's going to tell everyone what a weirdo she is. In rage, Angela stabs Stacy with a kitchen knife and ends up killing her. The trial for Stacys death is of course very big, with no one knowing who the real killer of Stacys is and many people assuming it was Monica. All this at first, of course.

Tori Spelling and Kellie Martin play the lead roles here and they both do a great job, especially Spelling. Jenna Leigh Green also has a small role and is good too.

Death Of A Cheerleader/A Friend to Die For is a fact-based movie and it's really good. It just shows what people do just to fit in. I give the movie a 10/10.

This is a story that shows us how far people will go to avoid being bullied by their peers and belonging which occurs frequently in girls. We see Angela who is an insecure teenager that strives to be popular. Stacy is the classic bully, one who suffers from the "Princess Syndrome" and everything seems to go her way despite her behavior. This shows that bullying DOES get out of hand and that kids will go to any lengths to avoid becoming victims or targets of Peer Abuse. A really good film that exhibits Peer Abuse in girls during the teenage years.