film's plot "requires a sensitive adult mind" but "lacks by a wide margin the requisite treatment, more often than not being patronizingly voyeuristic." Howard Thompson of The New York Times called the film "rather exasperating" until the "deeply touching finale" when it finally makes its point about pure love with the birth of the baby. Brenda Davies of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that producer-director Gilbert "sometimes seems to be inviting guffaws rather than sympathy. The story itself is riddled with improbabilities, and the dialogue seems out of touch with the contemporary teenage idiom." Anicée Alvina, however, was singled out by Davies for praise as an actress with "an alarmingly precocious charm, and she manages to survive the most embarrassing situations with aplomb." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote a positive review, calling Friends "a film of rare tenderness and charm" with "winning performances" from both leads. Scott Murray, writing for Senses of Cinema in 2005, challenged the largely negative critical reception to Friends. He believed that the movie's greatest strength was "its evocation of Arcadia, that magic, protected place where life may be lived as the rest of us can only dream." References External links 1971 films 1970s romance films British coming-of-age films British romance films Films directed by Lewis Gilbert Films set in France Films shot in France Paramount Pictures films 1970s coming-of-age films 1970s teen romance films Teensploitation 1970s English-language films 1970s British films