neumu [ cinematronic ]




	New Best Friend
	Zoe Clarke-Williams Mia Kirshner, Taye Diggs, Meredith Monroe, Dominque Swain, Rachel True 2002 Widescreen; full screen; closed caption; French, English subtitles; commentary by director Zoe Clarke-Williams; theatrical trailer.		The opportunity to laugh at the myriad clichés, absurdities and over-the-top performances may be enough to justify seeing "New Best Friend," as long as you don't pay for your ticket. Alicia (Mia Kirshner of "Exotica") is a brainy, poor Plain Jane student on scholarship at a fancy liberal arts college. She's worried about paying for grad school, but she lets herself get involved with Hadley (Meredith Monroe) and two other classmates (Dominque Swain, Rachel True) — screwed-up, amoral rich girls who corrupt our innocent. Or do they? From the start, you know Alicia ends up O.D.-ing on some kind of drugs. She's comatose in the hospital ICU. The question is "How did she get there?" It's up to the local sheriff (Taye Diggs) to figure it out. You'll smirk at how quickly and easily Little Miss Nerd is transformed into a total sexpot by her new friends. You'll howl at the manipulation and backstabbing. Ah, forget it. Rent "Heathers" for a truly smart, satirical look at the damage done by privileged girls in cliques.