Ahead of the pack, 'Bad Influence' came to us in 1990 before the befriending-goes-wrong genre really took off. You might not be familiar with it as opposed to 'Single White Female' because it kinda fell under the radar. It's unfortunate.
Written by David Koepp, directed by Curtis Hanson and staring James Spader and Robert Lowe. It hits all the right notes. Spader is easily convincing as a pushover and Lowe had the right attitude and look for a sociopathic manipulator. The story flows easily. Never feels forced or pushed in a bygone LA atmosphere. You can probably guess the ebb and flow of the movie. The new friend who makes your see a different side to life / yourself. It all starts out positively in tales like this until the dark reality comes a callin'. The trailer says "bad judgement", "bad habits" and "bad advice". Do we notice a pattern here?
It's not totally wrong. He befriends you. Shows you a good time. Helps you find yourself maybe, stand up for yourself. Women. More sex. Then the switch gets flipped. It's a formula other films later used, but it appears here at it's freshest form.
The scenario is a lot of fun played out on screen as I'm sure it would be like in real life in Spader's hypothetical shoes. It all starts as a fantasy. Then the reality of who this person who has entered your life comes crashing home. The ending is a bit contrived, but that didn't stop 'Bad Influence' from being a good time. Check it out if you get the chance.
Written by David Koepp, directed by Curtis Hanson and staring James Spader and Robert Lowe. It hits all the right notes. Spader is easily convincing as a pushover and Lowe had the right attitude and look for a sociopathic manipulator. The story flows easily. Never feels forced or pushed in a bygone LA atmosphere. You can probably guess the ebb and flow of the movie. The new friend who makes your see a different side to life / yourself. It all starts out positively in tales like this until the dark reality comes a callin'. The trailer says "bad judgement", "bad habits" and "bad advice". Do we notice a pattern here?
It's not totally wrong. He befriends you. Shows you a good time. Helps you find yourself maybe, stand up for yourself. Women. More sex. Then the switch gets flipped. It's a formula other films later used, but it appears here at it's freshest form.
The scenario is a lot of fun played out on screen as I'm sure it would be like in real life in Spader's hypothetical shoes. It all starts as a fantasy. Then the reality of who this person who has entered your life comes crashing home. The ending is a bit contrived, but that didn't stop 'Bad Influence' from being a good time. Check it out if you get the chance.