Circle of Friends Movie Review 1994

Nostalgic Irish coming-of-ager focuses on three friends and the trials and tribulations they face when hearts and hormones conflict with a strict Catholic upbringing. Small-town teenager Benny (Driver), overweight and slightly awkward, reunites with her friends at university in Dublin. Benny begins a romance with gentle, doe-eyed Jack Foley (O'Donnell) and endures the humorous but sometimes painful passage from adolescence to womanhood. Sentimental moments can be too sticky-sweet at times, but humor, disappointment, and small triumphs are convincingly portrayed, offering a universal appeal. Adapted from the Maeve Binchy novel.

Distribution

HBO, 1100 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, Phone: (212)512-7400, Fax: (212)512-7498, URL: http://www.hbo.com, Remarks: Online sales through www.store.hbo.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 96 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Campus Capers, Dublin, Coming of Age, Period Piece: 1950s, Books to Film: Maeve Binchy

Screenplay

Andrew Davies

Cast

Chris O'Donnell, Minnie Driver, Geraldine O'Rawe, Saffron Burrows, Colin Firth, Alan Cumming, Aidan Gillen

Cinematography

Kenneth Macmillan

Director

Pat O'Connor

Music

Michael Kamen

Other

John Jympson, Chris Seagers

Producer

Arlene Sellers, Alex Winitsky, Frank Price, Price Ent., Lantana Productions, Savoy Pictures