One of the most common-spun urban legends on college campuses these
days is known as the "dead man's curve" - any student whose roommate
commits suicide can receive an automatic 4.0 grade point average. Nobody's
really sure whether or not this policy is purely apocryphal, but it certainly
can lead to some outlandish scenarios. Say, for instance, two roommates
hoping to make the grade plot to kill their third roommate and pose it as
a suicide, ensuring their acceptance into Harvard grad school. In fact,
that's just the tale behind Dan Rosen's "Dead Man's Curve," a
darkly comic thriller of double-cross and intrigue that succeeds thanks
to snappy pacing and intelligent writing.
In his directorial debut, Rosen displays a knack for balancing the forces
of comedy and thriller along the lines of "Scream." His writing
- last seen on the screen with 1996's black comedy "The Last Supper"
- is an even greater asset. The script doesn't dodder in laying the exposition
groundwork; in fact, the entire plot is revealed in a bouncy opening credit
sequence. Equally appreciated is Rosen's ability to create intense suspense
while maintaining a light mood, peppering scenes with hip pop-culture references
("What would a suicidal person listen to?" "Lots of Suzanne
Vega and the Smiths") and movie-buff in-jokes (one drinking-game scene
spoofs the infamous game of Russian roulette from "The Deer Hunter.")
Complementing the writing are the standout performances, most notably that
turned in by amusing rubber-faced bad-boy Matthew Lillard, last seen as
one-half of the "Scream" killing pair. Rosen, Lillard and company
should help make "Dead Man's Curve" a sure-fire hit among the
young adult set.
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