Circle of Friends

"For everyone who ever thought the person they loved was out of their reach"

1995 1h 43m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 99

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three girlhood friends now at college share first loves, first kisses and first betrayals. At the center of it all is the best-looking boy on campus. Can a self-conscious dreamer hook the biggest fish in the pond?

“For everyone who ever thought the person they loved was out of their reach”

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Cast

Chris O'Donnell
Jack Foley
Minnie Driver
Bernadette 'Benny' Hogan
Geraldine O'Rawe
Eve Malone
Saffron Burrows
Nan Mahon
Alan Cumming
Sean Walsh
Colin Firth
Simon Westward
Aidan Gillen
Aidan Lynch
Mick Lally
Dan Hogan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pat O'Connor
Writers: Andrew Davies
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pat O'Connor, shot by Kenneth MacMillan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Jympson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver and Geraldine O'Rawe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For everyone who ever thought the person they loved was out of their reach".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pat O'Connor directs. Kenneth MacMillan behind the camera. Michael Kamen scores. John Jympson cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.0× over at the box office.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Pat O'Connor, shot by Kenneth MacMillan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor John Jympson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver and Geraldine O'Rawe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "For everyone who ever thought the person they loved was out of their reach".
9IMDB entry: tt0112679 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 99 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kenneth MacMillan
Original score: Michael Kamen
Editing: John Jympson
Production design: Jim Clay
Costume design: Anushia Nieradzik
Makeup / hair: Dorka Nieradzik
Sound: Gerry Humphreys
Stunt coordinator: Martin Grace
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $45,000,000
Return: 300% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Circle of Friends (1995)

Also by

Pat O'Connor

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-08-12
★ 8/10
Circle of Friends is a little feel good sort of movie. The ensemble characters interact quite well. I have always liked Minnie Driver, and Alan Cummings seems to nail the smarmy characters like this. I think he was in a Jane Austen adaptation film with a similar role. The film is based on one of the best Maeve Binchy novels, in my opinion. It concerns Bennie, Driver’s character, who has a self-esteem problem based partly on her weight and unpopularity. But she stands up for herself when she has to, and makes friends. She overcomes problems I won’t go into and risk giving details away, but suffice to say you should really end up rooting for her. My only problem with the movie is the ending. I felt the book had the perfect ending, and the movie went a different way. Don’t get me wrong; if I hadn’t read the book, I am sure I would have been a-okay with the movie ending. I just thought the book nailed it. But movies and books have different story arcs sometimes, and it wouldn’t stop me from watching Circle of Friends again if the opportunity comes along. You be sure to also, because as near as I can see, it can be hard to find it streaming nowadays.

Production companies