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Rating:
This catty, tawdry, generally well-acted B-movie would be nothing but fun if it weren't for two things: the credibility-impaired casting of too-young, too-pretty Taye Diggs as a dogged sheriff, and the fussy chronology necessitated by telling the story from his point of view. As lawman Artie Bonner, Diggs furrows his brow and scowls introspectively, but he can't seem to show the audience what's happening in his character's head. (Nor does screenwriter Victoria Strouse do much to explain why a guy so wet behind the ears would be trusted with an attempted-murder investigation.) Luckily, his screen time is minimized by the frequent flashbacks to the deliciously dishy crime itself. The four female leads have fun stabbing backs, swapping men, snorting drugs and engaging in the odd bit of girl-on-girl action. Rachel True, so appealing whenever Hollywood deigns to offer her a role, is particularly witchy, as befits an alumna of The Craft. Most of the plot, however, centers on Meredith Monroe's poor little rich girl and her wrong-side-of-the-tracks nemesis, played with verve and ambiguity by Mia Kirshner. If it were told in a more straightforward manner, like a gothic soap opera rather than a police procedural, New Best Friend might have become a bad-girl classic. As is, it's merely adequate. Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

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