I’ll be honest, I’ve been crushing hard on Brea Grant since her days on “Heroes,” so when I heard she had a movie out where she starred, I made it my mission to watch it. Thankfully, “Best Friends Forever” is a low budget but incredibly well realized apocalyptic horror drama with a geek edge that Grant is now known for. Grant is so adorable in “Best Friends Forever,” she may garner a few more fans. “Best Friends Forever” is basically “Harry & Tonto” meets “A Boy and His Dog.” Except with two beautiful women. To boot, it garners immense heart and rather fantastic performances by Director/co-star/co-writer Grant and co-writer/co-star Vera Miao, both of whom play friends uncertain of their future that realize the world around them has no future.
When you’re so unsure about what you’re doing next in life, how does that help or hurt you when civilization has ended forever? Grant is utterly lovely as Harriet, an aspiring comic book artist preparing to move from her home town after spending some time in a mental institution. Her friend Reba has agreed to begrudgingly drive her to her destination, and they try to make the most out of the terrible journey. What they fail to recognize is that the world’s powers have pressed the button and Los Angeles, along with other cities, have been obliterated in a nuclear holocaust. “Best Friends Forever” features the two characters so self-obsessed that they’re unaware of the end of the world. At one point the two are unaware of the explosions and Reba moons passing motorists. Reba bends over to moon them, and Harriet covers her face unaware that the motorists are wearing radiation masks to protect themselves from fall out.
The great aspect though is that writers Miao and Grant don’t make these two women unlikable. Surely, they’re self-centered, but for heart breaking reasons concerning fear of loneliness and so much abandonment issues, that they’re at odds from the beginning of the film. Reba is a reckless and often daring character who plays well off of Harriet, who is very shy and meek through most of the film. Reba wants adventure and to seek out a new journey for the pair, while Harriet is intent on living a life as a librarian. Grant does a wonderful job directing this picture, giving it an indie flavor with a soft tone that shockingly works well against the apocalyptic back drop. It’s far fetched that the pair don’t catch on to the disaster when they’re robbed by a group of men attempting to steal their car, but Miao and Grant side step it in favor of a series of incidents where humanity has now turned on one another, while Reba and Harriet are convinced they’re just trying to survive their road trip.
“Best Friends Forever” takes a darker turn toward the finale, fully embracing the apocalyptic tone, but works well as the world crumbles down around the pair’s petty problems, offering actual life changing moments that could spell death for either of them if they don’t overcome their past life and learn to adapt to their new one. Grant and Miao are just charming and utter dolls, but they also manage to play well realized and flawed characters you want to see thrive and survive. Their future is uncertain, but at least they have one another. Grant squeezes in her own fun fan girl Easter eggs including an appearance by Sean Maher, voice cameos from Kevin Pereira, and includes a comic book epilogue for the characters. “Best Friends Forever” is a hidden 2013 gem, and one that warrants a watch for fans of classic road trip films.