#KristenStephensenPino

[doomonfilm]

Review : Best F(r)iends Volume Two

When I stumbled upon Best F(r)iends Volume One a couple of months ago, I knew it would be off the wall due to the Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero involvement, and I ended up pleasantly surprised.  Upon learning about Best F(r)iends Volume Two, I had no clue what to expect, and once again I was pleasantly surprised.  A handful of characters remain, new characters join the fold, and the madness you thought you had a hand on slips your grip and bolts off into the darkness.

Jon (Greg Sestero) and Harvey (Tommy Wiseau) find themselves at a breaking point for their newly formed friendship, with Jon feeling betrayed by Harvey over money, while Harvey feels betrayed due to their fractured connection.  Jon and Harvey struggle on the edge of a cliff, resulting in Harvey plummeting into the sea below.  With Traci (Kristen StephensenPino) in tow, Jon leaves Harvey for dead, making a beeline for Harvey’s novelty ATM safe.  Jon and Traci are unable to break into the safe, and while on the run, Traci calls in Rick (Rick Edwards), who is possibly her uncle but definitely trouble.  As the three slip deeper into trouble in the pursuit of the contents of the safe, trust is broken, friendships are tested, and lives are put in danger.

There is quite a bit to unpack here.  The film, rather than unfolding in a slow, mysterious, Los Angeles mystery style narrative like Volume One, is a Tarantino-esque deep dive into a vast array of influences, references and tropes.  Much of the film plays like a desert fever dream, with an interplay of an interrogation scene straight out of the brain of David Lynch.  Many of the film references are played for humor (Rick’s Dirty Harry quote is hysterical).  Most of the beats of the road movie, the heist movie and the trust-based drama/suspense film you would expect are hit, but with the skewed perspective of Sestero, Wiseau and company in full effect.

As a result, the entire tone of the film is different from Volume One to a wonderful effect.  Elements of the story that arch between the two films are resolved, and symbolic connections are made between characters to great effect.  Just enough of the first film is sprinkled into the proceedings to keep the two connected, but Volume Two is a much more confident and focused creature.  The characters introduced for the second film are well defined and have great chemistry with Sestero and StephensenPino.  

Greg Sestero is much more reserved in this go-round, bring a bit more leading man and a bit less offbeat actor to the proceedings.  Tommy Wiseau is unleashed for this film and allowed to be the vessel for many of the referential elements of the film.  Kristen StephensenPino is back in the mix, and this time she brings a sinister edge that was slightly hinted upon in the first film, but left unclear if that was just her personality or a choice.  Rick Edwards plays the main protagonist like a country version of a Bond villain, even down to monologuing at key moments.

If you’re a diehard fan of Sestero and Wiseau, seek this film out.  It is a very grand and symbolic retelling of the friendship that has developed between the two men as well as where they fit into the Hollywood spectrum.  For anyone who thought that The Room and its success was a fluke, the Best F(r)iends series brings more intrigue to the table.