True Friends

True Friends is a heartwarming coming-of-age movie that beautifully portrays the essence of friendship. Drawing inspiration from various films, it combines elements such as the nostalgic charm of Stand By Me (1986), the enjoyable camaraderie reminiscent of The Sandlot (1993) when they play stick ball with other kids, the theme of drug abuse seen in Less Than Zero (1987), the adventurous spirit of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) when they skip school to go fishing, and the portrayal of loyalty found in Goodfellas (1990).

My favorite segment of the movie is the opening 30 minutes, back when they were kids. It's profoundly memorable and evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, especially the scenes where they engage in stickball and hang out on the rooftop, affectionately dubbed 'tar beach,' with their friends and other neighborhood kids.

When they grow older, each of the three protagonists faces their own challenges and setbacks. While there's a reminiscent element of Stand By Me, the key difference lies in their unwavering unity; they stick together through thick and thin, refusing to drift apart.

This movie has definitely earned a place in my top 100 favorite films of all time, and I'll definitely recommend it to my friends. I'm puzzled by the negative reception it's received from some viewers. In my opinion, it surpasses some many modern movies and stands out as a rare gem.

However, the fast pacing, editing, and transitions present significant challenges. With smoother pacing and editing, it could have been an even greater movie.

I remember watching this movie in parts, on TV, as a kid, and there are two scenes which stayed in my memory all these years. The first is when they bunk school to go fishing, and they get caught the next day when their photo appears in the newspaper. The other scene is when towards the end, Joey tells his wife, Gina, "I cant move my legs".

Now, having seen the movie in full after so many years, I enjoyed and appreciate it even more. A beautiful story of 3 friends growing up in a rough neighborhood, and sticking together in the toughest of times, this movie starts with some nice and light moments, and ends with some tearful moments towards the end. It depicts the ups and downs of life, and reminds us to value our true friends, and their friendship. It also shows how true friendship lives on even after a friend might not be there anymore.

For me the best thing about the movie is the story, and the bonding the 3 lead actors (and their junior versions) share. The way the friends come together to help J.J, or when they take Louie out for some "fun" on his birthday, are scenes that we can relate to in some way or another in our own lives. And the tragedy with Joey in the end makes you feel that you have lost a friend too.

The drawback of the movie may very possibly be some technical factors like poor editing which make the movie progress at a hurried pace, especially initially. A film like this might have done better with a few more slower moments in my opinion.

Overall, the movie aims at celebrating true friendship, and even despite a tragedy in the end, it somehow ends up on a positive note. A must watch in my opinion.

The Goodfellas-esque, sepia stained "flashback" images inspired me to carry on watching, despite the cliched dialogue, I gave it more than one chance, and was let down at every step. With a plot as deep as Goldilocks and the three bears, this movie unsuccessfully attempted to rip off every movie made on the same subject. Every vague hint at the protagonists' dealings with lesser members of the mob was more like satire than artistic observation,no wonder that the one or two half-convincing actors looked uncomfortable uttering every word of this all too familiar script. Top this off with the Tv-Movie type tear-jerking scenario towards the end... well I was begging for mercy from straight-to-video hell. I wanted a refund, not only for my money but for the brainpower and energy I wasted watching this sugar coated drivel. PS If Martin Scorcese really gave praise to this picture (as the cover claims), I am seriously worried for his sanity.

Quite literally put, this was the worst pile of *!@# I have ever seen. What an absoloute joke from start to finish, the sad thing was it was supposed to be serious! I was conned by the cover stating that fans of "Goodfellas" and "Sleepers" would like this, WHY? Cos it was set in NY and thats about it!

If you fancy a laugh get it, the attempts at acting were woeful, the "Cold Turkey" scene was a classic, I personally think my goldfish could have given a more convincing performance!!

I was even duped into a good review by Martin Scorcese (I can only accept and will only accept that this is a different Scorcese to the genius I know of, there's no way he genuinely saw this and then liked it! If he watched it then I bet he would have cringed at how bad an attempt at making a film could get!

Doesn't deserve the rating of 4.1 (last time I looked), anyone that rated this above a 1 then I would love to have a deeper conversation into what if any part of this ridiculous film they feel makes it worth an average rating?

I would also like an explanation from the people that gave this film an award for best movie (WHAT ON EARTH WAS THE SHORT LIST LIKE!!!!!)

Sorry to say it but, pathetic.

Contrived, oversimplistic, relentlessly and unrealistically> cheerful, predictable. Add a little bad language to the worst> ABC after-school special you've ever seen, and you're about> where this film comes in. Rented because the cover said it had> won some prominent independent film award, but this seems to have been an error. We're going to try to get a refund from the video store.