Four Friends [Georgia’s Friends] [Georgia] *** (1981, Craig Wasson, Jodi Thelen, Michael Huddleston, Jim Metzler, Reed Birney) – Classic Movie Review 13,476

Arthur Penn’s 1981 American comedy drama film Four Friends stars Craig Wasson, Jodi Thelen, Michael Huddleston, Jim Metzler, Glenne Headly and Reed Birney.

Director Arthur Penn’s 1981 American comedy drama film Four Friends [Georgia’s Friends] [Georgia] stars Craig Wasson, Jodi Thelen, Michael Huddleston, Jim Metzler, Glenne Headly and Reed Birney.

Four Friends is a curate’s egg from director Arthur Penn, who should have been right for this tale of a Yugoslav Danilo Prozor (Craig Wasson) coming to America at the age of 12, and moving from high school to college during the turbulent 1960s, the time when Penn was turning out his best work. But Penn seems to allow a complex, episodic film to slip out of his control as it swings from the moving and intelligent to the sentimental and careless.

The ambitious but wobbly, partly autobiographical script about the erosion of relationships and the contradictions of America is by the thoughtful and intelligent Steve Tesich (Breaking Away). Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet had just won an Oscar for Tess and had worked with Penn on Mickey One.

Four Friends is full of interest, but it was not a hit, maybe partly because it features real actors rather than film stars.

The quartet of the title are Yugoslavian-born Danilo Prozor; overweight, Jewish mama’s boy David (Michael Huddleston); attractive WASP jock Tom (Jim Metzler); and free-spirited, self-assured Georgia (Jodi Thelen).

Georgia dreams of a successful career as a dancer, and is loved in turn by each of her three friends.

The film was shot in East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting in Indiana; Chicago and Elgin in Illinois; Philadelphia; and on the campus of Northwestern University.

The cast

The cast are Craig Wasson as Danilo Prozor, Jodi Thelen as Georgia Miles, Michael Huddleston as David, Jim Metzler as Tom, Miklos Simon as Mr Prozor, Elizabeth Lawrence as Mrs Prozor, Julia Murray as Adrienne Carnahan, Reed Birney as Louie, James Leo Herlihy as Mr Carnahan, Lois Smith as Mrs Carnahan, Glenne Headly as Lola, Mercedes Ruehl, David Graf, Julia Murray, and Elizabeth Lawrence.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,476

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com