"A Friend's Betrayal" is an insightful, thought-provoking and interesting movie on a topic that has not been extensively dealt with in the entertainment industry –with a few notable exceptions. It was much more balanced, non-judgmental and rational than it could have been and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The performances in the movie are good. Sharon Lawrence provides an excellent portrayal of the elder woman and gives her character a unique amount of personality, depth and insight which allows the viewer to feel empathy and perhaps in some cases some sympathy for her point of view and the emotions she is going through. She is also exceedingly beautiful and vivacious and that also gives a realistic dimension to this role. Brian Austin Green is also excellent in the role of Paul –he gives the character enough passion, sensitivity and realism to make you also relate and identify with the feelings and emotions that he is experiencing. The supporting cast is also excellent –with John Getz, Ashleigh Aston Moore and Katie Wright all portraying their characters exceptionally and with perfection. The only disappointing character in my opinion was the character of Paul's mother –somehow her character seemed a bit too flat and one-dimensional. Perhaps this was biased by the fact that I didn't like her character but I still think she could have been handled better The script and dialogue in this movie flow well and avoids the trap evident in a considerable number of telemovies of becoming too clichéd or unrealistic. The issues involved in the movie are discussed and treated in a professional way and the consequences of the actions of all the characters involved are evaluated thoughtfully. I actually sympathized with the teenager and Sharon Lawrence's character here –being attracted to older woman myself –but the movie was wonderful at allowing me to see the other side of the picture. That's what I enjoyed so much about this movie –it didn't seek to pass judgment or editorialize about the actions of the main characters. It just let the story unfold quite close to the way that it probably would have in real life.
I was disappointed with the ending of this film –which I won't reveal-but, like an early reviewer here, I agree that many would see it as a logical conclusion. I'm actually going to give this 9/10 –I found this enjoyable, entertaining and intriguing to watch and it totally exceeded my expectations
