Witty and hilarious. This movie was a complete breath of fresh air. I cannot understand the bad reviews, nor can I understand why people are comparing it to " The Big Chill" ( another great film but different). This movie is cute and hilarious in parts although scenes towards the end started to get a little depressing. I did feel the ending was a bit of a let down as it started so well. To me the highlight was Rita Rudner who is hilarious as the American Joan Collins type, soap star and steals the show. I truly wanted to see more of her. Fully recommend this movie

This film is an apt demonstration of the old saying that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear; in this case, any number of fine actors cannot rise above an inferior script. The performances seemed strained, over-the-top, and built on stereotypes, hence the two-dimensional quality of the characterizations. So frustrating to see fine actors like Thompson, Laurie, Staunton, and Branagh have so few places to go. Stephen Fry turns in the best work, because his role at least bears some mystery and nuance. It was impossible to believe that the characters who were cast as couples had ever been attracted to each other, much less married. The contemporary music seems manipulative, intrusive, and heavy handed--not much subtlety. Not much moral ambiguity, either: it's clear which characters we're supposed to love and which we're supposed to hate. Given these problems, as well as the sentimental and hackneyed ending (complete with a freeze frame of forced gaiety and laughter), it's remarkable that this film has been compared favorably to The Big Chill and The Return of the Secaucus Seven--it doesn't even come close.

PETER'S FRIENDS has a lot to like. Some of the performances and vignettes are very good and it's impossible to say that the film isn't touching. At the same time, however, I also found myself thinking that perhaps the film makers tried too hard--putting too many conflicts, too many complicated back stories and, unfortunately, too many clichés to make this a must-see picture. It was a case of all the wonderful parts adding up to an okay whole but not a lot more.The film begins by showing a group of six college chums doing some sort of review show for an audience of not terribly appreciative people. We did not get to see the show--perhaps they were terrible--we just don't know. However, these six friends are all very excited afterwords and they pose for a picture and talk about how they'll all be best friends forever.Now suddenly it's a decade later. The six eternal friends have drifted a bit--all having their own lives and maintaining only incidental contacts. Out of the blue, Peter (Stephen Fry) contacts them all--inviting them to his huge family mansion to celebrate the New Year. All six can make it and two of them invite significant others. Unfortunately, some of the six are incredibly shallow, unlikable and easy to read because they are a tad clichéd--representing more archetypes than believable people. One is a nympho who commits to relationships way too quickly and as a result is lonely and rather pathetic. She brings her latest lover--who seems like a boorish jerk. One has married a shallow Hollywood actress and is desperately unhappy with all his wealth and happiness. His wife is annoying and well,...annoying. One is lonely and a spinster--or at least she will be if she doesn't do something about her life. And, finally, two of them married and their marriage is in trouble following the death of one of their kids. Frankly, the only ones that didn't seem unreal were the grieving couple and I really wish there'd been much more time in the film devoted to them. They were compelling and believable.An additional problem with the film is that all these people had very complicated lives--enough to make a mini-series instead of a full-length film. Because it was all crammed in so tightly and there were almost magical resolutions or at least realizations on this poignant weekend that it all seemed artificial. Now there were gobs of interesting moments--but with so many, many, many such moments you wonder if there are six friends anywhere with that much going on at one time! Too much from start to finish helped sink this British incarnation of THE BIG CHILL to the level of a time-passer.

I love all the actors in this film, and the idea of them all still being friends after so many years was nice but I sometimes thought the acting was weak in parts and the ending was quite anti-climatic. I won't post the ending, but for those who have seen his "secret" was yes, a huge secret, but I was expecting more about it. Like a follow up or something.Also I think Hugh Laurie didn't have a big enough part, and there was too much focus on some of the minor characters such as the American wife (can't remember her name) and the sex addict's boyfriend.But a great film, with classic British (and Fry) humour, and also a great sound track!