A Friend to Die For
Encyclopedia
A Friend to Die For is a 1994 American TV movie directed by William A. Graham
. Written by Randall Sullivan, the film is based on Sullivan's Rolling Stone
magazine article concerning the real-life murder of a high school girl by her jealous classmate. Kirsten Costas
, a fifteen year old cheerleader at Miramonte High School
, was killed by less popular classmate Bernadette Protti in 1984. The film was the highest-rated TV movie of 1994.
, she tries to forge a friendship with the snobbish and conceited Stacy, who rejects her.
Things only get worse for Angela, who suffers the double whammy of having been rejected for a coveted position on the yearbook staff and not making the cheerleading squad as the school year draws to a close. Still determined to be friends with Stacy, she calls Stacy's mother and anonymously invites her to a party under the guise of there being a special dinner for the Larks. Once Stacy gets in the car with Angela, she reveals that the "dinner" story was a lie she told Stacy's mother so she would be allowed to come, and after they drive some distance, it is revealed that Angela was not directly invited to the party herself.
Infuriated, Stacy demands to be taken home, but Angela tries to explain how much she admires Stacy and wants to be like her. Unmoved, she calls Angela "pathetic" and gets out of the car. She gets a ride home, but Angela follows her. Worried Stacy will spread rumors about her, Angela stabs Stacy multiple times and leaves her for dead.
Angela avoids capture in the weeks following the incident, as another student, Monica, is blamed for Stacy's murder - no one suspects Angela due to the fact she is seemingly too nice to commit a crime - and also because one of Stacy's friends tells Angela that no one really liked Stacy, but that they were only afraid of her.
As her junior year begins, Angela becomes more involved with the community, taking up such activities as peer counseling and candy striping. However, overwhelmed by Stacy's murder, one of the Larks brings up the idea of disbanding. Determined not to let this happen, Angela argues that they should remain active, noting that the group was not only important to Stacy, but also to the various community activities in which they take part. This idea not only saves the Larks, but also wins Angela the position of secretary/treasurer.
In the meantime, a harassment campaign is waged against Monica until she finally leaves the school. At this point, authorities resume their investigation and begin re-interviewing possible suspects, including Angela. With the authorities slowly closing in on her, she becomes more and more consumed by her guilt, until she finally confesses to her parents in a letter.
Devastated by Angela's arrest, Jamie confesses to having left Angela in a ski lodge alone during a ski trip the year before, all because she did not have the courage to stand up to Stacy. As the trial begins, the prosecutor claims it was premeditation and first-degree murder, but Angela's lawyer claims it was second-degree murder.
The judge agrees with the prosecutor, after listening to Angela's taped confession that Angela killed Stacy fearing public humiliation. Angela is then sentenced to confinement
until the age of 25. As the movie ends, Jamie writes a letter to Angela that she quit the Larks (having left when she realized how mean they were to Angela) and that she plans to quit Santa Mira High and go back to her former school, St. Joe's.
William A. Graham (director)
William A. Graham is an American television and film director.Graham directed episodes of many TV series including The Fugitive, Twelve O'Clock High, The Big Valley, Batman and Ironside...
. Written by Randall Sullivan, the film is based on Sullivan's Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine article concerning the real-life murder of a high school girl by her jealous classmate. Kirsten Costas
Kirsten Costas
Kirsten Marina Costas was an American high school student who was murdered by her classmate, Bernadette Protti, in 1984...
, a fifteen year old cheerleader at Miramonte High School
Miramonte High School
Miramonte High School is a public high school located in Orinda, California. It is part of the Acalanes Union High School District, which has a college preparatory program, with 15 Advanced Placement courses offered. Over 98% of its graduates go on to college. 320 students graduated in 2005, with...
, was killed by less popular classmate Bernadette Protti in 1984. The film was the highest-rated TV movie of 1994.
Plot
Angela Delvecchio (Martin) is a high school sophomore who aspires to be popular, beautiful and perfect in everything, much like the school's "queen bee" Stacy Lockwood (Spelling). She idolizes Stacy, who is the most popular girl at school, and wants to become a cheerleader. When Angela is accepted into the "Larks," the school's popular cliqueClique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
, she tries to forge a friendship with the snobbish and conceited Stacy, who rejects her.
Things only get worse for Angela, who suffers the double whammy of having been rejected for a coveted position on the yearbook staff and not making the cheerleading squad as the school year draws to a close. Still determined to be friends with Stacy, she calls Stacy's mother and anonymously invites her to a party under the guise of there being a special dinner for the Larks. Once Stacy gets in the car with Angela, she reveals that the "dinner" story was a lie she told Stacy's mother so she would be allowed to come, and after they drive some distance, it is revealed that Angela was not directly invited to the party herself.
Infuriated, Stacy demands to be taken home, but Angela tries to explain how much she admires Stacy and wants to be like her. Unmoved, she calls Angela "pathetic" and gets out of the car. She gets a ride home, but Angela follows her. Worried Stacy will spread rumors about her, Angela stabs Stacy multiple times and leaves her for dead.
Angela avoids capture in the weeks following the incident, as another student, Monica, is blamed for Stacy's murder - no one suspects Angela due to the fact she is seemingly too nice to commit a crime - and also because one of Stacy's friends tells Angela that no one really liked Stacy, but that they were only afraid of her.
As her junior year begins, Angela becomes more involved with the community, taking up such activities as peer counseling and candy striping. However, overwhelmed by Stacy's murder, one of the Larks brings up the idea of disbanding. Determined not to let this happen, Angela argues that they should remain active, noting that the group was not only important to Stacy, but also to the various community activities in which they take part. This idea not only saves the Larks, but also wins Angela the position of secretary/treasurer.
In the meantime, a harassment campaign is waged against Monica until she finally leaves the school. At this point, authorities resume their investigation and begin re-interviewing possible suspects, including Angela. With the authorities slowly closing in on her, she becomes more and more consumed by her guilt, until she finally confesses to her parents in a letter.
Devastated by Angela's arrest, Jamie confesses to having left Angela in a ski lodge alone during a ski trip the year before, all because she did not have the courage to stand up to Stacy. As the trial begins, the prosecutor claims it was premeditation and first-degree murder, but Angela's lawyer claims it was second-degree murder.
The judge agrees with the prosecutor, after listening to Angela's taped confession that Angela killed Stacy fearing public humiliation. Angela is then sentenced to confinement
Confinement
Confinement may refer to either* Civil confinement for psychiatric patients* Color confinement, the physical principle explaining the non-observation of color charged particles like free quarks* Solitary confinement, a strict form of imprisonment...
until the age of 25. As the movie ends, Jamie writes a letter to Angela that she quit the Larks (having left when she realized how mean they were to Angela) and that she plans to quit Santa Mira High and go back to her former school, St. Joe's.
Cast
- Kellie MartinKellie MartinKellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
as Angela Delvecchio - Tori SpellingTori SpellingVictoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
as Stacy Lockwood - Marley SheltonMarley SheltonMarley Eve Shelton is an American film and television actress.Shelton began her acting career in her late teens, and appeared in several 1990s' television movies and shows. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed drama Grand Canyon , and was cast in the films The Sandlot , Nixon , and...
as Jamie Hall - Valerie HarperValerie HarperValerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
as Mrs. Delvecchio - Margaret LangrickMargaret LangrickMargaret Langrick is a Canadian actress. She won a 1986 Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for My American Cousin and was also nominated in the same category in 1990 for Cold Comfort. She was also nominated for a Gemini Award in 1987 for Best Guest Performance in a...
as Jill Anderson - Christa MillerChrista MillerChrista Miller is an American actress who has achieved success in television comedy. Her foremost roles include Kate O'Brien on The Drew Carey Show and Jordan Sullivan on Scrubs . She has also appeared on Seinfeld and CSI: Miami...
as Terri Delvecchio - Terry O'QuinnTerry O'QuinnTerry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
as Principal Ed Saxe - Andy RomanoAndy RomanoAndy Romano is an American actor, known for playing "J.D." in the 1960s Beach Party movies ....
as Joe Delvecchio - James AveryJames AveryJames Avery may refer to:*James Avery , American TV actor*James Avery , Connecticut colonist, legislator, and military commander*James Avery Canadian baseball player...
as Agent Gilwood - Jenna Leigh GreenJenna Leigh GreenJenna Leigh Green is an American actress and singer best known for her performances as Libby Chessler on the television show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and on Broadway and on tour in the musical Wicked.-Early life and career:...
as Meridith Ladd - Brittney PowellBrittney PowellBrittney Powell is a German-American actress. She was the star of the series Safety Geeks: SVI. She represented the show at Comic-Con in San Diego, California during 2009 and modeled for the Safety Geeks 2010, 2011, and 2012 Safety Pin-Up Calendars.-Television:* Safety Geeks:SVI - Dr...
as Head Cheerleader - Kathryn MorrisKathryn MorrisKathryn Morris is an American actress, best known for her lead role as Detective Lilly Rush in the CBS series Cold Case.-Career:...
as Monica Whitley - Tom O'Rourke as Mr. Lockwood
- Marnie Andrews as Mrs. Lockwood
- Robyn Bliley as Courtney Clay
- Tom EverettTom EverettTom Everett is an American actor known for his performances in political films such as Air Force One and Thirteen Days.-Film:-TV:-External links:...
as Sergeant Denning (uncredited)
In popular culture
- The band Marcy PlaygroundMarcy PlaygroundMarcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak , Dylan Keefe , and Shlomi Lavie . The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".-Early years:...
has a song called "Death of a Cheerleader", which is based on the movie.