seen september 5 , 1998 at 10 p . m . at the sony nickelodeon theaters ( boston , ma ) , theater #2 , with matt perreault for free using my sony/loews critic's pass . 
[theater rating : * * 1/2 : okay seats , sound , and picture] 
modern society is now inundated with more sex and sexuality than it ever has been before , from teenage sitcoms to nc-17-rated films about fetishes . 
the biggest debate of the subject is whether or not it affects reality or just reflects it . 
 " your friends and neighbors " takes a different approach as it's a film that revolves almost entirely around sex and how can be used for both pain and pleasure even within a small circle of friends . 
one of the most important aspects of the film that most be noted and analyzed before the film can really be dissected as a whole is writer/director neil labute's basic setup and some of the unique methods he employs to tell the story . 
firstly , and most importantly is the fact the script tells a rather complex , detailed story of lust , betrayal , arrogance , hypocrisy , greed , and just plain stupidity between six different characters ( three men , three women ) , without hardly any supporting characters , ( a few have a line or two ) , mostly extras . 
everything they do will somehow affect another character and ultimately come full-circle back to themselves , whether it be positive or negative . 
but to just state this is arbitrary , and explaining and criticizing the process is difficult . 
labute's ability to tell his story through a few characters is a remarkable feat , but what's specifically impressive is the fact the characters' names are never revealed until the end credits roll . 
for the sake of this review , i will describe the characters and refer to them as their main characteristic . 
another interesting accomplishment is the fact every scene takes place inside with limited focus . 
we're always able to tell where the characters are ( someone's home , the gym , a restaurant , hotel room , etc . ) , but what the city they live in , what year it is , what the society is like , etc . is relatively unknown . 
the film is a complete character study with the tight , intense drama of the theater . 
no one plot dominates the story , which makes the first act a bit tedious for its lack of background . 
we're simply dropped in on the characters' lives and are expected to figure out the rest . 
the characters are a group of middle-class white people who are all successful at what they do , but they're only concern right now seems to be their sex lives . 
first there's barry ( eckhart ) and mary ( brenneman ) , a married couple who are going through a dry spell not unlike many other couples in other situations who don't know what they're problem is . 
barry is kind of a dorky businessman who loves his wife , and the sex they have , but doesn't have a lot of ambition - he just follows everyone else . 
mary is a writer of some sort , but lacks aggression and emotion like her husband and is the meekness character , but ironically , doesn't hesitate to commit adultery just to feel something . 
labute's script does a good job in characterizing mary and barry as individuals , but is very light on chemistry and connection between the two . 
obviously , this is the theme , which is enhanced by the actors' good performances , but at the same time seems just a bit hollow . 
another couple is jerry ( stiller ) and terri ( keener ) who live together and seem to have been involved with each other for a long time , yet they constantly argue over anything and everything . 
their sex life is also fraught with problems and for some reason they continue to do it throughout their infidelitous relationship . 
if only one aspect of the film could use improvement , it would be this area . 
it's natural for a married couple to become bored with each other , but why would two people who can barely stand each other continue to have sex and live together ? 
what did they ever see in the other person to begin with ? 
labute never really answers , but since the film is more concerned with the payoff than the process , it still makes for good drama , tension , and manip ulation so intricate and deceitful it's fascinating . 
two other characters act as catalysts , cary ( jason patric ) and cheri ( natassja kinski ) . 
cary is an arrogant , hostile sex-maniac who defines the word " bastard . " 
somehow he is able to bend women to his will , either through charm or just attitude , into getting his way . 
he's the kind of guy everyone should stay away from as we realize he's secretly perverted , but somehow barry finds comfort in his company , although jerry is always nervous around him . 
patric gives an outstanding performance , so much so that we want to know more about him despite how intimidating and unlikable he is . 
cheri is a character labute uses as a catalyst to see how the other characters react to her . 
she works in an art museum and at some point throughout the film , each character will engage her in almost the exact same conversation and her reaction is always different , from becoming involved in a relationship with one , to brushing it off as small talk with another , to being outright appalled by yet another . 
she's a sweet woman , perhaps the most normal of any of the characters , and although her symbolism is obvious , her role as the outsider is the most relatable . 
i will not reveal who cheats on who and how each character is specifically affected by the others' action , as that's the hook of the film . 
the first two acts begin to set up the characters and each's scenarios , but it's often difficult to tell what they will do about it and with whom . 
the result is sometimes surprising , other times predictable , but the actual course of actions is always fascinating . 
for a while everyone has their fun , but ultimately each character's guilt , attitude , or ignorance will disserve them . 
one of the most important things to note is how realistic the story is supposed to be . 
since the characters only interact with each other there isn't much pop culture references , as almost everything has a deeper philosophy behind it . 
are we to assume that these people are , as the title states , our friends and neighbors ? 
i don't know of anyone going through the same situations as these people . 
often times the film is not unlike a network melodrama , other times situations are like those not seen outside a porno movie . 
but what this film does have that the others don't is repercussions in the end . 
although the film creates its own reality , it goes to show that even the immoral aren't immortal . 
in what way " your friends and neighbors " is supposed to work is open to interpretation . 
it definitely has a lot to say about the price that comes with infidelity , but it could have been even better had it expanded on that theme more specifically . 
still , it's an accomplishment in film-making because it has put a timeless theme into a modern perspective . 
