A Small Circle of Friends

Pumped up with energy to spare in its first half, this is an otherwise routine drama about a love triangle set in the turbulent late '60s on the Harvard campus. Harvard takes a remote backseat though, as Leo (Brad Davis) chases after Jessica (Karen Allen) while buddy Nick (Jameson Parker) also ...more

This lesser-known entry in the "campus life in the 1960's" subgenre is a modest but effective piece of work. Exra Sacks' screenplay uses a conventional romantic-triangle scenario to anchor its tale of the tumultuous 1960's but it doesn't feel like a cliché. In fact, it does a nice job of giving shape to the complex array of social concerns the film covers by giving them a human face. Indeed, the film's most effective moments are the ones that convey the emotion behind the social unrest: ...more