The Friendship Game is a 2022 Canadian sci-fi horror film about a group of teenagers in a small town discovering a strange object that tests the strength of their friendship.
Directed by Scooter Corkle from a screenplay written by Damien Ober. Produced by Daniel Bekerman and Amanda Verhagen.
The movie stars Peyton List, Brendan Meyer, Miranda Edwards, Jennifer Copping, Dylan Schombing, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Annette Reilly, Kelcey Mawema, Maria Hart and Lynn Whyte.
Release:
The Friendship Game will be released by RLJE Films theatrically, On-Demand (VOD) and on digital platforms on November 11, 2022. Buy via Amazon Prime
“The Friendship Game features an incredibly talented young cast lead by rising star Peyton List,” said Mark Ward, chief acquisitions officer at RLJE Films. “We cannot wait for audiences to join this fun, exciting, entertaining thrill ride of a movie.”
“We’re very energized to be partnered with RLJE Films on the release of The Friendship Game – this is the kind of film they always rock with,” said Daniel Bekerman, a producer on the film. “Scooter is a filmmaker to watch and combined with Damien’s mind-bending and terrifying script, they took this movie past our wildest expectations. Peyton delivers on a raw and gritty performance in a role unlike anything we have seen from her before. Can’t wait to get the film in front of audiences!”
Reviews:
“The Friendship Game seemingly wants to say something about adolescent relationships and how hard it can be to lose them […] Corkle’s strategy is to throw a bunch of freaky visuals at the audience and hope they’re fooled into believing something important is happening here. It’s not. And this is one of the most maddening, unpleasant-to-sit-through films of the year.” 1 out of 4, The Aisle Seat
“The Friendship Game is compelling enough to keep you invested initially, even if the exposition at the very beginning makes you cringe. You’ll want to keep watching to see what happened to Cotton and to see if the friends can stick together and “win” the game. Is it an alternate universe? Is any of it real or just a technology glitch caused by the game? You won’t be entirely sure of anything by the end.” Cinefied
“Due to the nauseating, head-scratching pacing of its first half, its uninspiring characters, and its not-so-unique idea, the movie loses points. Even with a compelling third act and some impressive visuals and use of scare tactics, the overarching plot can’t hold the film together enough to result in a satisfying experience.” 2 out of 4 stars, Film Festival Today
“The actors, the special effects, and the overall production quality really do work very well. What does not work is the execution of telling a fairly simple story. At first, it’s intriguing. Then it gets a little irritating that we’re constantly kept in the dark and only getting bits and pieces. Ultimately, I just didn’t care.” 2 out of 5, Heaven of Horror
“By the final act, the gore factor is raised a few notches. This seems to clash with the more cerebral horror thriller Ober envisioned, but these films need that big climatic showdown. Even if in this case it’s highly unsatisfying. The Friendship Game has some solid elements, but it doesn’t come together to make for a thoughtful or engaging horror thriller.” 3 out of 10, Lyles Movie Files
“Beneath it all, there’s an air of cynicism, as friendships hit walls as those wishes come true, that matches the creepy, uncertain atmosphere running through the tale […] Such questions about the nature of friendship can’t be answered, but that The Friendship Game sets out to do something different with its grounded approach to gimmicky horror, only to become overburdened by the game of its own inexplicable plotting.” Mark Reviews Movies
“At a running time of 1 hour and 27 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours, The Friendship Game is an uninspired, confusing and preposterous sci-fi thriller that squanders an opportunity to be scary, fun and suspenseful, and nothing interesting to say anything remotely interesting about friendship or technology. It’s yet another lazy, undercooked B-movie.” The NYC Movie Guru
“The Friendship Game is the kind of film with which one should manage expectations. It doesn’t properly execute its themes, nor does it sufficiently reveal enough about the characters and their circumstances for audiences to buy into the story. And yet, there are glimpses, sprinkled throughout, of a different version of this movie that could have been good — even great.” 1.5 out of 5, Screen Rant
“The Friendship Game proves that toxic circles don’t last. Aside from some visually stunning sequences, Friendship offers nothing sustainable to its viewers – from its poor pacing, questionable character motivation, and more.” Victims & Villains
“List is her excellent self and she has good back by the remainder of her peers in Dylan Schombing and Kelcey Mawema in what is at times quite a horrific film that delivers well. The Friendship Game isn’t a complicated film and you will find the story familiar but the mystery, deaths and friendship chemistry within the acting group made it highly watchable whether you are a teen or not.” Which Film
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