All Reviews

Two minutes and thirty seconds into the film the plot was already neatly laid out. D'Mario's involvement in Jessica's disappearance was already hinted at, and Owen's reaction to the unfolding online romance is believable. That intro was beautifully done. Really, the film was overall a success in my mind. I laughed a good deal, and I even showed a few scenes to a friend who wasn't watching.

The characters are somewhat stock for films centered around a roadtrip, but none of them are bothersome. The most intriguing (visually and in terms of motivation) was clearly MoBu, but the competition between the male characters to demonstrate which is the best friend was a nice background touch (and could probably be played up throughout the story with more success).

Some genuinely memorable dialogue, notably the interaction among Jeff, Rishi, and the gas station attendant and also Rishi's "Motha Fu----" line. Conveying the legitimacy of an online romance is difficult, but two scenes that stood out as effective were the Farmville photo at Jessica's (or D'Mario's?) apartment and the "big red barn" line. Only one line stood out as being really ill-fit; it was was early on, when Rishi told Owen that Owen was glowing. Owen said something like, "I'm not pregnant." It's not funny; it's not clever; and as far as I can tell, it's not a common saying. It really felt like an opportunity for something funny and clever, but it didn't deliver.

Some constructive criticism:
The acting isn't top notch. It's not necessary that it be top notch, but the actors playing D'Mario and Owen (in that order) could simply be better. D'Mario's actor seems a bit uncomfortable playing a thug and saying thuggish things. That's a problem: because that's what he is. Owen's actor seems to be going for the Jesse Eisenberg/Michael Cera feel, but he's not as charismatic as either, and his character is less witty as well than those they play. As a result the character is flat and underwhelming at times. I get that he's a normal guy, but think of what someone like John Cusack did with very normal, everyday characters in (romantic) comedies.

I thought the car scene dragged on a bit long. It was only a six hour drive. I don't know offhand how much screen time it consumed, but it felt long and slow. I get that there would be a good deal of awkwardness with four relative strangers sitting in a car for six hours. I think that that sense could be conveyed in a shorter period of time. That would speed up the film and get it to LA sooner.

Even once the action arrives in LA, the film pacing seems a bit off. There are a good number of stops in a short time (at least the cafe, rap studio waiting room/sex room, gay club, two levels of the final apartment) that it felt like a side-scrolling video game, where you just keep walking and walking toward the end. The final scene was pretty anti-climactic after all that buildup.

I was actually imagining a somewhat darker or more sinister conclusion. D'Mario isn't portrayed as sufficiently pimpish to beat Jessica or really hold her against her will. He comes off as a laughable petty crook. But the sort of character that would be successful at believably keeping Jessica away from her phone and status updates would be much more like the Gary Oldman character in True Romance (and in fact the scene where Slater goes to rescue his would-be-prostitute girlfriend is much more what I had imagined playing out). The action doesn't have to take that turn, however, to be effective. Jessica doesn't have to be an almost-prostitute or even an actual prostitute. There just needs to be a more believable reason why she deviates so extremely from checking in online. And D'Mario needs to go to greater lengths to hold onto her at the end (think of all he went through leading up to that point). The Pants blog move isn't a bad idea to extricate the group from the situation, but it was a bit forced. If you go for a more comedic conclusion, D'Mario could land an acting gig as a result of his "audition" tape on Pants's blog (and they all live happily ever after). If you want a more serious ending, as the film seemed to go for, something else has to be done, I think. It was really the most unsatisfying scene in the film, and the whole problem was D'Mario.

All that said, the film is already better than many films I've paid to see. I wouldn't have been disappointed if I'd spent money watching this film (I saw it "for free" through Amazon Prime). The strongest points are that intro, Mo Bu (the actress and the character), and (in spurts) both the dialogue and (to a lesser degree) the romance. Find a way to build up the romantic aspect without overly contrived revelation scenes; I think that would be a huge boost. Good luck.

This is a much shorter review than usual, since I think most things have been said already. Frankly, Amazon should simply buy this script, then pony up $10million for the film-makers to use this cast in a higher-production-values movie, then watch the bucks roll in.

Perhaps - and I'm being really picky here - less gun-play would mean a more satisfying and wider-appeal movie. Can the villains be less gangsta-rap? I feel like I've been watching these villains since the early 90s, and there's nothing really new about them? They only really work because the good guys are such fantastic characters.

Wouldn't it be funnier to have gangsta Country and Western, or something more mainstream?

I dunno, just throwing that out there. But this is really an amazing [test] movie, and I have no doubt a full release will follow eventually. It is the first live-action one I have been able to not only sit through without a break, but actually WANT to watch. Congratulations to all involved. You should be very proud.

This was incredibly well done for a test movie. Clearly a lot of time and resources went into it.

Things I liked:
- Loved the cast. The main characters did a great job.
- Professional feel: nicely-shot, quality sound, nice soundtrack, FX and action good
- Dialog was crisp and natural

Things I think could be improved:
- Could use a comedy punch-up. There were many amusing moments and the light tone (until the end) was fun to watch, but it just seems like it should be funnier.
- Story was very straightforward, could use more depth. Maybe a good subplot or a clear character arc would have helped.
- Another reviewer mentioned needing Facebook (the company) on board with the movie. That makes sense, not sure what's involved there to make it happen.

I'm not sure how this would do as a Hollywood production. It's a nice indie movie as it stands, but it feels like it needs that "something extra" to be successful on a larger scale.

This is a very brief review because I think most of the main winning aspects of a Hollywood film are all in place!

To me this film shines because of the big characters. The Facebook in- jokes are very funny. I think this film will fit into the category of the type of Seth Rogen films, like Pineapple Express, Super Bad… or even Harold and Kumar etc type comedy.

What sold it for me were the three friends Rishi, Mobu and Jeff Pants. Their acting and multi- layered characters worked so well together. Rishi’s character sounded like Jonny Five from Short Circuit (in a good way) and looked like a young Michael Jackson (in a good way as well!), which surprisingly was a winning combo! Mobu had the strong, attractive, mysterious female presence. And Jeff Pants had just the right amount of random character qualities, that was not irritating or over the top.

While watching the film, I had a few questions that I don’t think were answered. But forgive me if they WERE explained, I just may not have noticed them.

Why does Mobu have an ankle tag? What crime?
How did Jessica know that Owen was coming to rescue her if Demario intercepted all her calls? When they first met, Jessica was up to speed with everything and nothing needed to be explained to her?
It would be nice to have a concluding scene segment rather then the montage of Facebook activity. So it would be the gang the next day or week… just so the viewer knows what happens to the characters and their relationships together. Do they stay friends? How do Owen and Jessica interact now? It could be the shortest visual montage but it would just show the characters growth and a clearer conclusion.

I wish you guys all the best of luck with getting this film made on a larger budget!
It will happen!

@MG_matic

I had watched a few test movies from this site and was left very unimpressed. After seeing this is off of scriptshadow I figured I'd give it a shot -- I was very impressed. From the opening 5 minutes I could tell it would be a well-done endeavor. The actors did a great job bringing these four unique characters to life. This is timely, it says something and ultimately could be huge. I can see this being the type of film that would not just do well in the US but global.

That being said there are places it can improve. When the two guys put the guns to their head in a cafe, I was a little thrown. How does none of the workers or customers say or do anything? This whole sequence felt manufactured. Him wanting to make a phone call, at the exact time the bad guys are there. I assume they would at least take these guys outside. I chalk this up to limited budget and less locations.

I think one of the bigger areas to improve would be to tighten up the start and get to more crazy expeditions in the middle of the film. I felt these things were kind of crammed into a short period. In some of the locations most notably the Dreamz, I feel like there should have been more urgency from the characters. They kind of just were there. Some at the bar, some watching a show. It took me out for a bit. I'd expect these characters to be more active throughout. The ending and whole music producer thing felt a little done, so this could be a place to improve and was probably my least favorite part of the story.

Overall I was laughing a ton. This is a funny movie with funny performances and can easily see this being on the big screen. Jeff Pants was my favorite. His character was just so out there. The guy who played Rishi was really good, totally sold me on his character. Honestly in this type of movie I was surprised to see so much attention brought to the characters.

I know I'll see this in the theater one day. Good job all. Hope these notes help.

From start to finish I was hooked. The characters were perfectly cast. The main characters did an excellent job, Rishi and Pants in particular. For me there were many actual laugh out loud scenes. Overall, this is without a doubt the best test movie I've seen on here. The director, actors, sound and music brought this clever script to life! Congrats on this. Job well done!

I loved It! The shots were a little quick sometimes, but that added a lot most of the time.
The casting and directing was amazing and that added a lot to it.
The comedy I found very amusing, it had me laughing the WHOLE time! i loved how there were a small amount of actors, which made it much easier to characterize. The script and dialogue flowed extremely smoothly the whole time.
I found that the technical aspects of the whole movie were amazing, and everything seemed very natural, which was great! i naturally have to comment on the lighting, because that's the biggest aspect of my 'resume', so i think that it was obvious that the crew didn't go into specifics, if they even thought to much about lighting, but it turned out great, rather than flooding everything with WAY to much light, as some directors and lighting technicians will.
Sound design was great as well, the sound was a lot better than other test movies I've watched. though some parts were a little creepy, which was perfect.
I have to say more about the casting, though. the actors carried the message as good as anyone could. I loved the red haired guy, he added exactly what the script needed in comedy. the girl added sexiness, which i find put the script to completion, which helped ease tension, which i think was put in with an easiness.
I love the twist at the revealing of Jessica. I can't give enough praise to this movie.
I have one more thing to review, the's gonna take too long for this movie to get into thearters, I love it! it end of the movie adds so much to the movie, that at the beginning my thoughts for this review were sort of like "wow, this is great!"
But now that I've finished the movie my thoughts are more like "I actually have a unsettleing feeling that it's gonna take too long for this movie to get into thearters, I love it! "
I think that this would need a little bit of luck to hit as high as many people at amazon studios would like, but that is very likely for a movie that includes Facebook.
This is actually probably my favorite movie I've watched so far, though I've only watched like 5 or 6.
This was hands down The best movie I've seen in a long while. And this would get many many good reviews from the right people!
Good luck with everything in the future!

I was impressed from the beginning this movie started. The storyline was well developed and the four main actors did a wonderful job bringing their characters to life. I thought the cast did a fantastic job--made me laugh out loud several times! Loved the opening and ending shots of FB as part of the story.

There is a sense of fun and playfulness. Overall opinion is good. There were moments were the pacing could have been tighter. Good casting choices for the characters and they brought an interesting mix to the story. The song at the club was so hilarious. I agree with that there should be a little more to the ending with Jessica and Owen--more of a bigger moment. Well done for a test film, that it could even be a type of independent film that can be screened.

When I started playing this Movie on my computer, my wife walked into the room with my 16 year old son. I told them the title of the movie I was about to watch " I think my Facebook Friend is Dead". They got curious so they decided to watch with me for a few minutes. That few minutes turned into the entire movie length. My 16 year old couldn't wait to tell all his friends about the movie. My wife thought it was very good. She made the comment that it was on the order of the "Hang Over". That's a big complement if you knew my wife. She doesn't sit still for many things.

"The Hangover" ? I started thinking, was this on the order of that movie? I say yes, very close it just needs a few tweaks.

* The Dmario and his two thugs needed to be just a little more scary.
We needed to see a little more from Dmario . Just enough to keep it mysterious, but to make it clear how dangerous his is.
During the Cross Dresser escape scene, maybe add a twist with a couple of very large cross dressers 6-7 or better that take a liking to the two thugs.

* The End scene was too easy to get to. It needed to be a little more scary and funny. Maybe Dmario knew our heroes were coming setting a few traps along the way for them.

The Characters were all very likable. The Actors and Actresses did a great job with them. If we have not heard of their names before this. We will in the near future. They all have talent and were able to be the characters portrayed to the fullest. They kept our attention.


I believe this will be a Blockbuster smash. The timing is good to have movie with this subject matter. This movie needs to get it's final tweaks done and released out to theatres. Don't wait too much longer to release it. Make Money, Act now!