Kill Your Friends

I loved the book. The book is laugh-out-loud funny. The problem with this cinematic adaptation is that there are only a few laugh-out-loud moments. Tone is the problem. The opening sets up the tone as dark and unpleasant and the main character as thoroughly unlikeable. We have to spend an hour and a half with this guy? It's like having to sit beside a racist drunk on a night bus. But it's hard to not like Nicholas Hoult (and the scathing honesty of his character) and the film did grow on me - perhaps like a tumour. There are moments of brilliance and a few great lines (no pun intended) but ultimately the buzz doesn't quite feel worth it.

People who have written bad, simple minded reviews have no idea what they are talking about.

The book is the one book I couldn't take reading, it's a lot more cynical and black, but the style is very cool, as all books by Nivel. They are fast, they are black, they are pop literature. So, that this movie is based on a contemporary bestseller known for it's incredible dark style should be a clue.

Second - the actors are such a cool choice, not only the lead character, but also Moritz Bleitreu, e. g. and others. Look them up, if you don't know any European actors.

Third - music choices were great! Partly a kind of parody on that British happy-happy-jump-jump Techno _from the 90ies_ but also very fitting: The Prodigy and others from that time. Lots and lots of other very funny parodies, loved the girl band with the strings.

4. Worcaholism and Drug use in London, career pressure, etc. are not unrealistic at all, nothing unusual shown, people kicking others out, going through their things, etc. (well I hope the murders are not normal).

Finally - British Pop Culture, and British Black Comedy. This should have given the final clue. Don't watch it if you don't like the genre.

I attended the world premier for "kill your friends" at the fantasy film festival in Berlin which was the opening film - and was pleasantly surprised. Usually the open movie is OK, this time it was the best I have seen in the last 15 years going to the fantasy film festival.

I had not read the book on which it is based, had not read the description (as I always go to the opening movie no matter what), so I did not know what to expect.

Kill your friends is about a hotshot in the finding and signing music talent industry who wants to be the department head, however is clueless but very determined. It is an over the top black comedy that has tons of coke and pills, some nudity and gore, and great lines.

I was very entertained and can only recommend the movie. Most likely will get an 16/R rating for the violence, drugs and nudity.

This Film tells the story of a record industry talent scout in the 1990's London, who stops at nothing when it comes to career advancement.

Firstly, the music in the film is great because those songs are the songs I grew listening to. Hearing relatively non hit tracks such as "The Private Psychedelic Wheel", or other big hits like "Encore Une Fois" brings back memories of those great years!

Nicholas Hoult is insanely handsome in this film. He's charming and likable even though his character is reminiscent of "American Psycho". That's what make the film very interesting and engaging. I really enjoyed it.

I like Nicholas Hoult enough to check out the movie when I saw the poster at my local theater, plus I became really found of music around the time period the movie takes place in and was a fan of the Britpop thing going on at the time. Also, this is the second time I've seen Hoult do something that was not Superhero or genre (the first being Dark Places, starring Charlize Theron).

Although the title did make it seem like it may be a horror movie. In a way. it is, especially if you seen American Psycho.

Hoult plays a brutally honesty (which makes him very unlikeable) A&R rep for a record label, who's trying to climb to the top of the ladder, at the same time trying to find the next Britpop sensation. He falls under all the clichés of a man trying to reach the top, coping with stress with sex and drugs, all the while trying to be the cool guy in the room. Then we discover how far he will go to climb up that ladder to success, of which the term back stabbing does not fully explain.

It's brilliant as a satire on the music industry as a whole during that time. They go over the bubblegum pop machine that is boy bands and pretentiousness of bands that want to be considered indi, it even pokes fun of the techno scene that was developing and the moment when Hip hop was about to dominate. No stone is left unturn making it a hard hitting poke at whatever category you fit in and really hopes you have a good sense of humor about it.

Holt plays the villainous protagonist that has become popular on TV (like Tony Sprano and Walter White). It's something different than the Awkward but good looking kid he plays in a lot of his movies and he handles that fact that not everyone will fancy his character and keeps it completely true to form.

For everyone who remembers the late 90s and loves stories on the music industry.