Find Your Friends (2026 Shudder Original) Review

[00:00:00]All right, so yesterday Shudder dropped a new movie called Find Your Friends and this stars Helena Howard as well as Bella Thorne and Chloe Cherry. Yes, the porn star. She's been making a good amount of movies lately. She was on Euphoria and she was in that slasher movie we watched not too long ago that I'm forgetting the title of at the moment.

[00:00:26]And yeah, so anyway, this is about a group of friends who go out partying.

[00:00:36]>> Yep.

[00:00:37]>> And they're pushing it real hard, getting themselves into some pretty bad situations and pushing their luck, I would say.

[00:00:50]>> Definitely.

[00:00:51]>> All because they think they're just like out having a good time and [ __ ] it, nothing's going to happen to them. But unfortunately, some stuff starts to happen. Now, >> mostly the story is told through our main character here by played by Helena Howard, Amber. She is the one that is not having a good time. Her friends are in full party mode. They're ready to rock and roll all night long and she is dealing with a breakup. And so she is not in a good head space for this at all, but she is using you know, substances and whatnot to try to self-medicate, tend to distract and it's not really working and you know, then she tries to push herself into these uncomfortable situations cuz her friends are kind of egging her on to do it and then of course that goes all horribly wrong and lots of fingers are being pointed.

[00:01:48]So I think okay, I think a very important note on this film is that if you find like party girl like characters and um women who are extremely crass and almost like ghetto-ish.

[00:02:13]Like they're like Valley ghetto, which is really weird. But if you find those kinds of characters annoying, girls that are constantly talking about like you know their [ __ ] and [ __ ] like every 5 seconds is every word is the F-word and let's get [ __ ] up and let's party, guys.

[00:02:31]You will want to kill yourself [laughter] watching this film because one like 99.9% of the dialogue is really trashed women >> Yeah.

[00:02:42]>> speaking extremely crass to one another who and that is pretty much the entirety of the film.

[00:02:49]Um I think that there is a very interesting conversation to be had after watching this film. And I And Kaylee and I definitely had a very long discussion >> Mhm.

[00:03:01]>> about like who's [snorts] at fault and like the reality of the ways of the world and you know, and I think that's a very like sensitive topic.

[00:03:15]>> Yeah.

[00:03:15]>> Because there's going to be so There's going to be such a like a visceral reaction to some of the things that might get brought up >> Yeah.

[00:03:25]>> one way or the other. Right? Like if you're on this side of things, you're a piece of [ __ ] And if you're on this side of things, you know, so on so forth. So, I don't know. I [clears throat] can't say that I liked the movie that much, but I do think that it shows party culture and like hookup culture in a very interesting light and it does pose some very interesting questions that are important.

[00:03:52]>> Yeah, no, for sure. I think that it's a definitely like a nuanced um like discussion, I guess, like themes that are explored. Like >> I don't think I think everybody in the film like is flawed, right? Like our main character especially. Um like she's dealing with a lot. But like yeah, like the hookup culture aspect of things, kind of um like substance abuse and trauma especially, definitely there's a lot of talk about and just like themes of rape and um like sexual assault in general.

[00:04:25]And you know, maybe that stuff isn't as like nuanced because like rape is rape. But like I guess in how people react to things, there is like it's a very interesting film in that regard. I also don't know if I really liked the movie. Um >> Such an abrasive walk.

[00:04:42]>> It was like really intense to watch because like you are very much thrust into like the party like lifestyle with these girls and it really is just like drinking and drugs and like >> putting themselves in the most like dangerous situations just completely unbeknownst to them because they're just like, I don't give a [ __ ] it's me partying.

[00:05:03]>> Yeah, and you know, we talked about it where it's like it it sucks to be like in a world where it's like you have to like as a woman like be aware of your surroundings when you do want to just like let loose and have fun and not like be that like you know, guard dog with things. But like that is also part of like the reality.

[00:05:22]So it's like yeah, like we don't want that to be the case. It shouldn't be the case for women or anybody else.

[00:05:27]>> Right.

[00:05:28]>> Um and I think that these girls like they're definitely in that mentality of like like [ __ ] it, like people aren't going to dare mess with me because, you know, I'm so big and bad and they're not. They're not big and bad. They're all like very tiny girls.

[00:05:41]Um But yeah, and then there's a lot of lights and like flashing lights and the lights and everything. So it's like it is a really intense film to watch. Um and we like watched it like right before bed, too, which is like not the time to watch it, but um uh you know, the ending is powerful. I like the ending. There's a pretty gnarly scene at the end that I think like a lot of people will find very memorable and you know, I'm like I think it's kind of a fist pump sort of, you know, scene in a lot of ways as well and um I think it's a an important film and I'm glad that movies like this are made and I think that like I'm really curious also just to hear how other people are receiving it and like I would love to hear just other people's takes on it cuz I I'm just curious. I feel like as you said, like I think it's a movie like the discussion that it can spark I think could be very um like uh not controversial, but like yeah, divisive in some ways for various reasons because I think it's a really loaded like emotionally loaded conversation that's happening, but it is cool and I think that like yeah, like having movies like this is important. So.

[00:06:48]>> What I think is very interesting about the film, even though it is very difficult to watch because the characters are so unlikable and so unrelatable to me in any way, shape, or form. Um is that it does it's not like just a traditional man-hating spotlight. Like men are definitely vilified in this, >> [laughter] >> but not in the typical way because I can't I can't in good conscience say that the the the men are the only ones responsible for what's going on in this situation. Like I don't This is why I'm saying this is such a volatile like topic because you don't want to ever like point fingers or like place blame on certain people and whatnot, but you also have to be honest about situations with people. And I think that there is something very interesting going on here with these girls because our main character is a [ __ ] train wreck of a person, and I think it's very clear that they get into a lot of the situations that they're in because of her.

[00:08:04]And it's like she is just not being wise about anything. And I think this I feel like if she's not in the film, you have no film.

[00:08:17]>> Yeah.

[00:08:18]>> Right? The rest of the girls, they're just in party mode, and I don't think that even though they're putting themselves in situations, they're not they're not like pushing the situations into dangerous territory. Like even though they might be putting themselves in a situation where something could happen, I just feel like she exacerbates everything. And it's like, "God damn, you are like a you are like a magnet right now for for drama and for chaos and shit." So, I found that I found that aspect of it to be very fascinating cuz I don't feel like that's ever the case. Like there are certain things that happen where I like typically it would be straight across the board like she's innocent, guy is 100% in the wrong completely, and there's no other way to interpret that scene in the slightest.

[00:09:13]And that's just not the case with this film.

[00:09:15]There's definitely things that she's doing where you as the viewer are like, "Girl, >> Yeah.

[00:09:22]>> what the [ __ ] are you doing?

[00:09:23]>> [laughter] >> Come on."

[00:09:25]>> no matter what like >> like cuz that's more realistic.

[00:09:29]>> I I mean no matter what happens like nobody is ever asking for it when it comes to like sexual assault or anything. Um >> But you also have to be wise to the ways of the world.

[00:09:40]>> Yeah, but it is it is just very fascinating because yeah, there's so much substance abuse and there's so much peer pressure and like this in-group mentality with the girls that's like really fascinating to like kind of follow where it's it is toxic in a lot of ways cuz you know, I wouldn't say it's a healthy like friend group.

[00:10:01]But they do have like they do care about each other to an extent, right? Like there is love between them and um you know, like anyway, but um yeah, I I think it's a really interesting watch. It's definitely one that I think will spark a lot of conversations. I think people will be talking about it for sure.

[00:10:18]>> And will start a lot of fights.

[00:10:19]>> I think it'll I think it will too and you know, I don't know. I don't know if that's like a a good or a bad thing, but it it is just like it's one of those films that's like very um it does feel very realistic in a lot of ways because like yeah, I think that people I think these are the kinds of situations that can happen to people and it's hard cuz it's like you know, I think no matter what again, nobody's ever asking for it like when people have like some kind of sexual trauma happen to them like it's important to have their back and definitely be like, yeah, like you were you're a victim. Like something happened to you.

[00:10:52]>> Sure.

[00:10:53]>> Um but it is also like uh it is just a weird part of being a woman that it's like you have this other responsibility to be like, I have to be aware of things and like try and not be and then you know, on the flip side of that even when you don't put yourself in a like quote unquote dangerous position or place, stuff can still happen to you.

[00:11:13]>> Sure.

[00:11:14]>> It doesn't really always like line up with that. So it's like it's just very interesting and the other part too that I know we talked about is kind of like the um you know, the way that the girls behave in this, they're definitely like lots of women and girls that act like this like in real life and and but it is very much like guys like are, you know, like 20-year-old guys act like that all the time. And society definitely has like a double standard for like when you see women acting like this and you're like, "Gosh, they're being so awful and crude and crass and like >> are equally annoying.

[00:11:46]>> Yeah, but like but but for the most part, it's like guys are expected to act like that. Like of course these 20-year-old like frat boys are just going to get drunk and try and like have as much sex as possible. And so like there is this double standard and I think that that just like is uh [ __ ] gets interesting, you know, like >> but I think they're both awful.

[00:12:04]>> Yeah, I mean like these are not people that I would ever want to hang out with for a variety of reasons, for sure. But like I would never be like you know, telling people like not to do what they want to do. Like if you're someone that likes to party and like have a lot of sex with strangers or whatever, like I more power to you. Like yeah, like I don't care.

[00:12:22]Um >> Yeah, the only thing I would recommend here is watch, if you're even slightly interested, this sounds like it's off-putting, you don't watch it at all, for sure. There's a lot of like sexual assault stuff, there's a lot of abrasive characters making the most poor decisions imaginable, and the most unlikable characters. So I would watch like 5 minutes, if you're even slightly interested. And if their dialogue is too much and you're finding them to be so [ __ ] annoying, shut it off, cuz it never gets better. It is going to be like that the entire film.

[00:12:55]That is the how they act, that is how they talk, the whole [ __ ] film.

[00:13:01]And it is uh it's a lot. It's it's a it's a lot to listen to.

[00:13:05]>> Yeah.

[00:13:06]>> It's like, "God damn, you guys are idiots."

[00:13:09]>> [laughter] >> Like holy [ __ ] So, anyway, that's that. It's on Shudder right now. Um it's an interesting film, but I cannot say that I liked it, but I do like the messaging.

[00:13:20]>> Yeah.

[00:13:21]>> That's that. I got to go pick up the girls.

[00:13:24]>> Bye.

[00:13:24]>> Adios.