turkthrust1975 I stumbled upon Friends by accident while looking for the episodic Friends With Bennefits which is shooting here in LA. This is a movie that you have to watch many times, each time you pick up a little something more. The style is a breath of fresh air. The actors are simply on top of their game. What wonderful characters they created. I'm amazed that they haven't been discovered, so to speak. Great story line. Being of the "woodstock generation" myself, Friends With B offers a look at this generation of under 30 young people which I now call the "Friends With Benefits Generation". Excellent directing, excellent acting, and very excellent photography(great DP) excellent sets, and extremely excellent lighting. Very tastefully shot passion scenes. This is a sleeper. But a smart move making it available for free on IMDb. It will surely give these young actors a lot of exposure.Mike Agresta Burbank, CA

toddjn I had the privilege of attending the screening of Friends ( With Benefits) in Bay City Michigan's Hell's Half Mile Independent film and music festival 09'. This film had me laughing, cowering in my seat with embarrassment and there were a few surprising twists that I enjoyed. I found the scenes with the split screening easy to follow and helpful to the development of the climax. The Actors and Actresses played their characters professionally, they fit their parts. The soundtrack was refreshing and uplifting. I actually saw the film twice. If giving the opportunity to buy the film on DVD I would. It's not a surprise to me that the film won "Fest Best" award (viewer's choice). Gorman B. did a fantastic job of putting the film together. I can't wait to see his next film and I hope he comes back to the festival. Todd Nowakowski

Anne Shulock I recently saw this movie at the Sacramento Film and Music Festival, and thought it was great! The movie centers on a group of six friends in their early 20s, and the various sexual combinations you can get from three women and three men. (One kind of silly distraction: of the six main actors, all of whom were good, one looked like Melissa Joan Hart, one looked like Mark Paul Gosselaar, and one looked like Adrian Grenier.) I went back and forth on whether the touting of the movie as "A novel with moving pictures" and the use of chapter headings with cutesy titles was annoying or helpful, but I think I liked it, because the movie isn't a straightforward romantic comedy. It's composed of bits and pieces-- confessional-type scenes with a therapist ("Dick Weed"), split screens, music montages (the main character is in a band), flashbacks (the requisite senior prom), a fast scrolling of one character's rules for living. Plus plenty of talking about sex and then sex and then dealing with the aftermath. Sure, there were some clichés, but the movie felt surprisingly fresh. Plus, the two leads had great chemistry. One part I didn't feel was as successful was the treatment of parents--only one set of parents makes it on screen, and it's an overbearing father pressuring his son. That relationship didn't seem to have the nuance and creativity of the friends' relationships.For a low-budget movie, it looked and sounded lush (nice music, too).If you have the chance to see Friends (with Benefits), I'd highly recommend it. Just maybe go with someone who you'll be comfortable sharing a raunchy evening with.

thinmanmusic So we settle in for a romantic/comic/sex farce kinda film and going in I'm in the pocket and the wife is on the fence. But guess what? We laughed, we were touched by the sensitivity between the laughs and in the end-I got laid! It's the perfect date movie. The photography is surprisingly lush for an indie film. The use of split screens never gets confusing or trite. The dialog is fast paced but just fast enough- funny jokes within jokes-let's just say I'm enthused.I want to quit my job to follow that rock band on tour- but maybe bring them a couple of songs.Or maybe it's just that I want to follow Chloe wherever she goes. Bechard has hit his artistic stride with this film.I'm hoping his treatment of "2nd Greatest Story" will be up to these standards- he's set his bar very high.