Best Friends

Forty-one year old Randy Spears (looking exactly like 41-year-old Randy Spears) begins Wicked’s “Best Friends” as a college student preparing to leave for med school. April Flowers, his much younger-looking best friend, is worried that they may never see each other again. Written by Melissa Monet, this is the story, told vignette-style, of the ups and downs of their relationship over a period of several years, during which Randy gets married, has a couple of kids, and gets divorced, and April experiments with lesbian love, takes up with kinky Eric Masterson, and dumps him when she catches him screwing around with the couple next door. It’s the story of two best friends who go their separate ways only to wind up together again, unattached, and mature enough to finally admit their love for one another.

Directed by Jim Enright, Best Friends leans on a strong ensemble — April Flowers, Aria, Billy Glide — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about romance titles of 2002.