While Dead Man's Curve smacks of straight-to-video contender Dead Man On Campusin terms of plot, this neatly-shot indie film by Dan Rosen (The Last Supper) mixes style, wit and farcical comedy into an enjoyable whole.
Tim (Scream's Lillard), Chris (Vartan) and Rand (Batinkoff) are beer-swilling, girl-chasing campus roomies. Taking to heart a little-known college rule (if a student commits suicide, his mourning space-sharers receive A-grade passes), Tim and Chris decide to sacrifice their friend for their respective careers. They spread rumours that he's suicidal, then throw him off a very high ledge.
Rosen plays the whole morbid situation for comic effect, and Dead Man's Curve is lifted above its teen comedy/thriller origins with a style and sharpness that the plot doesn't really deserve. Admittedly, it's predictable - they never find Rand's body - but you won't be wasting your money if this is the only thing showing at your cinema and every other screen is sold out.
