Billing itself as "A modern immorality tale", Neil LaBute's follow-up to his wildly successful "In the Company of Men" is an interesting exercise in film-making - with its static structure and repetitive rhythms, it sometimes recalls some of Alan Parker's films, and proves to be equally engaging and enjoyable.

The film deals with six individuals, all headed toward a lifetime of unhappiness. The root cause of their frustration, according to LaBute's literate and often sharp script, is sex. Indeed, every character is defined by sex - be it orientation, preference, habit, skill - and the game of sexual manipulation and back-stabbing, all in the name of "friendship" (the words "best friend" literally becomes an obscene term thanks to this film) is at once horrific, yet compelling, to watch.

Jerry (Ben Stiller) is a drama teacher with a penchant for noisy sex, a habit his girlfriend Terri (Catherine Keener) abhors. Soon, Jerry is putting the moves on Mary (Amy Brenneman), the wife of his close friend Barry (Aaron Eckhart). The latter couple are also caught in a sexually frustrated relationship, with Barry proclaiming himself to be the best sex he ever had. This last comment, however, is better applied to Cary (Jason Patric), a misogynist gynecologist with an overwhelming need to use sex as punishment and punishment as gratification. Wafting through the trio of men and their women is Cherri (Nastassja Kinski), an art gallery assistant who is continually propositioned and who becomes a victim to their sexual machinations.

Filmed in a series of beautifully staged sequences, LaBute's painterly approach to the film medium adds a layer of resonance to his film - it is as if his invocation of still life images (and make no mistake, this is a very pretty film to look at) traps his characters in a flat canvas from which they will never be able to escape, no matter how much violence they inflict on each other. The closed, stuffy atmosphere further raises the stakes by drawing the audience into the increasingly desperate lives of the protagonists. Like a master artist, LaBute's artwork both displays and interacts with its audience, and the result is a film that can be unsettling even as it entertains.

The ensemble cast gathered here is the film's greatest asset. Amy Brenneman, long wasted in nothing roles like the ones she took in "Heat" and "Daylight", is given the most pathetic role in the script. The difference, however, is how she confidently assails Mary's many contradictions. Seemingly happy and balanced, she is a mass of nerves and insecurities, and she ends the film in a position the audience may empathize with, be shocked by, or condemn her for. The point is that Brenneman's work here is the best she's done on the big screen so far, and one hopes she finds another role of equal complexity and subtlety to show off her talent. Aaron Eckhart, the star of "In the Company of Men", here plays a character totally different from his last outing with LaBute. Given the quality of work he's turned in so far, one hopes that Eckhart becomes to LaBute, what Chris Eigeman is to Whit Stillman. Putting on some flab and growing an unwieldy moustache (Eckhart is a good case study of how facial hair on the wrong man can turn a handsome face into an insipid one), he plays Barry as somewhat of a sad sack loser in life and in love; although the character, as written, is somewhat selfish and clueless, Eckhart manages to make him endearing, even sweet. Nastassja Kinski returns from the "whatever happened to…" pile by taking on the small but significant role of Cherri. Her character is sketchy and more an ideal than a three-dimensional person, but she brings with her that incandescence that sparked up the screen in Roman Polanski's "Tess", and she radiates the warmth and genuinity that her character needs in order to stand out in this sea of sexual barracudas.

The film's three greatest performances, however, are given by Stiller, Patric and Keener. In what may be the film's most arduous role, Stiller again shows that he is a gifted comic actor capable of finding the drama and sadness that fuels some of life's funniest moments. Jerry is a jerk, but somehow, we still care about what happens to him. Treading a fine line between pathos and bathos, Stiller's performance is superbly skilled and controlled. He is matched exquisitely by Catherine Keener's funniest and most enjoyable turn so far. The Indie queen who's appeared in practically all of Tom DiCillo's movies has always been a joy to watch, but she's never quite taken on a role so assertive and bitchy as Terri. It's nice to see her bare her fangs and lash out at anyone and everyone, and she makes Terri the most compelling of the trio of females in the film, her troubles unfathomable, her joys short-lived. Also breaking out of the mold is Jason Patric (also returning from the "whatever happened to…" pile). Often cast as the goody-two-shoes (see "The Journey of August King", "Sleepers" etc), he brings new meaning to the term "narcissism" in his characterization of Cary. He also has the film's most startling monologue and some of its best lines, and he does all the material great justice. This is the kind of performance that reawakens audiences to his potential, and one hopes the memory of "Speed 2" will soon fade away.

Neil LaBute is fast cornering the market on documenting the sexual politics of our times. One hopes, however, he finds new material for his next film. "Your Friends and Neighbors" may be a riot to watch and chuckle at, but he cannot mine the same material much longer. Already, some scenes in the film feel a little strained. However, given the calibre of talent and the quality of the work on display here, one feels confident that LaBute will move on successfully. In the meantime, pay a visit to those near and dear to you at your nearest cineplex - you'll be laughing nervously all the way.

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© Copyright 1998. If you've got anything to add, write me at terrybrogan@hotmail.com. Or don't. Whatever.