BFFs (2025) Movie Review: A loud, brash culmination of predictable, elaborate pranks that feels like an assault on the senses

Directed by Constantine Paraskevopoulos, who stars as Jerry Klugman, and written by Adam Rifkin, who stars as Henry Hartman, “BFFs” (a.k.a Best Friends Forever) is like a corporate update on the nostalgia of being young. The filmmaker and writer who still shelter the frat-boys closer to their hearts are trying to channel their hangover into a buddy comedy that tickles your funny bone while also helping you reminisce about a time when it was all about one-upping each other. While the duo is occasionally able to match up to their own chaotic rhythm, the film eventually turns into a loud, brash culmination of predictable, elaborate pranks that feels like an assault on the senses. 

Considering that the team would find that criticism a compliment, let’s break down what works and what doesn’t. The story follows Henry Hartman – a middle-aged man who works as an HR representative in a firm in Phoenix run by the overbearing Mr. Coogan (Terrence Howard). His job entails a soul-crushing routine of firing people and getting back to his pregnant wife Dóra (Jennifer Morrison). His thankless life feels like a sorry chore that needs something to wake him up. 

Enters Jerry Klugman – an erratic and oddly charming old friend from Henry’s college days who, despite working for Homeland Security, has somehow managed to keep the frat-boy in his life alive. The rekindling of old friendship is the wakeup call that Hartman needed, and as the two buddies get back into their old routine of playing elaborate pranks on each other, Harman slowly starts to get his mojo back. 

For starters, he starts smiling more and somehow gets back to trying to be a novelist – something that he had left behind in order to be good at doing the corporate shindig right. However, the carnival in his life also brings in a few sets of discrepancies. Anita Goode Bonin (Anita Briem), Jerry’s fiancée who works as a stripper and is obsessed with her low body fat, develops a fancy for Henry. She starts sending skimpy, thirst-traps to the man whilst Jerry’s pranks start getting bigger, bolder, and more personal. 

As Henry’s life goes out on a toss, more concurrent troubles keep shafting their way into his problems. “BFFs,” at this point becomes a collection of lot of moving parts that involves a fired employe named Gabe Barr (Amaury Nolasco), a security installer named Guy (Nick Stahl), a couple of Pehonix police officers named Taye Diggs and Michael Bacall) and a always-on-vacation recruiter offering Henry a high-paying gig – all of which never manage to fit into the chaotic narrative to give it some form of girth. 

Beyond the intentional, juvenile humor, the close-cut sequence creates a sense of paranoid energy that works in opposition to what it aims for. The scenes are cut in such hurried fashion that none of the jokes, pranks, and narrative tussles land. Some of the pranks feel like a nice little call-back to Jackass, but since filmmaker Constantine Paraskevopoulos is so busy populating his story with unnecessary plot threads, none of them register. 

The only redeeming factor thus lands on the actor’s shoulders, but even they are given so little material to work with that they fail on every conceivable ground. Veteran actors like Terrance Howard are trapped in an inconsequential character that could have been played by someone else, and it wouldn’t change a thing. Jennifer Morrison, who plays Henry’s pregnant wife, should be one character that is so criminally mishandled, as the narrative just sidelines her midway without any explanation. 

Overall, “BFFs” is something that might please you only if you have a long, long friend who somehow re-entered your life and changed it for better or for worse. Constantine Paraskevopoulos & Adam Rifkin do have that best friend energy that could have helped uplift this film, but like the story that Henry starts but never completes, the film feels like a whole lot of uproar for nothing.  The result is a film that feels like a sensory overload and not much else. 

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BFFs (2025) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd
BFFs (2025) Movie Cast: Adam Rifkin, Constantine Paraskevopoulos, Anita Briem, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Morrison, Amaury Nolasco