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IMDbPro

My Friend Dahmer

  • 20172017
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
19K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,812
1,697
Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Dallas Roberts, Marc Meyers, Alex Wolff, and Ross Lynch in My Friend Dahmer (2017)
Before Jeffrey Dahmer became a notorious serial killer, he was a shy, alcoholic teen who never quite fit in. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Derf Backderf, this is the true, haunting story of Jeffrey Dahmer in high school.
Play trailer1:47
1 Video
99 Photos
BiographyDramaHorror
A young Jeffrey Dahmer struggles to belong in high school.A young Jeffrey Dahmer struggles to belong in high school.A young Jeffrey Dahmer struggles to belong in high school.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
19K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,812
1,697
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Marc Meyers
    • Writers
      • Marc Meyers
      • John Backderf(based on the book My Friend Dahmer by)
    • Stars
      • Ross Lynch
      • Alex Wolff
      • Anne Heche
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Marc Meyers
    • Writers
      • Marc Meyers
      • John Backderf(based on the book My Friend Dahmer by)
    • Stars
      • Ross Lynch
      • Alex Wolff
      • Anne Heche
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 131Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:47
    Teaser Trailer

    Photos99

    Anne Heche at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Marc Meyers and Ross Lynch at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Amy Hargreaves, Marc Meyers, and Ross Lynch at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Amy Hargreaves and Marc Meyers at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Alex Wolff and Ross Lynch at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Alex Wolff at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Anne Heche at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Dallas Roberts at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Anne Heche at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Tommy Nelson and Harrison Holzer at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Anne Heche, Miles Robbins, Marc Meyers, Alex Wolff, and Ross Lynch at an event for My Friend Dahmer (2017)
    Ross Lynch in My Friend Dahmer (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ross Lynch
    Ross Lynch
    • Jeff Dahmer
    Alex Wolff
    Alex Wolff
    • John 'Derf' Backderf
    Anne Heche
    Anne Heche
    • Joyce Dahmer
    Zachary Davis Brown
    Zachary Davis Brown
    • Freshman Boy
    • (as Zac Brown)
    Lily Kozub
    • Freshman Girl
    Vincent Kartheiser
    Vincent Kartheiser
    • Dr. Matthews
    Adam Kroloff
    • Mr. Burlman
    Brady M.K. Dunn
    • Bossy
    • (as Brady Dunn)
    Michael Ryan Boehm
    • Shorty
    • (as Michael Ryan)
    Dallas Roberts
    Dallas Roberts
    • Lionel Dahmer
    Liam Koeth
    Liam Koeth
    • Dave Dahmer
    Tommy Nelson
    Tommy Nelson
    • Neil
    Harrison Holzer
    Harrison Holzer
    • Mike
    Cameron McKendry
    Cameron McKendry
    • Moose
    Jake Ingrassia
    • Gooch
    Ben Zgorecki
    Ben Zgorecki
    • Bully Jock
    • (as Benjamin Zgorecki)
    Kris Smith
    • Ms. Bowles
    Jack DeVillers
    Jack DeVillers
    • Oliver Zlatka
    • Director
      • Marc Meyers
    • Writers
      • Marc Meyers
      • John Backderf(based on the book My Friend Dahmer by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      'My Friend Dahmer' was filmed in Jeffery Dahmer's actual childhood home in Bath, Ohio. His high school, Revere High, was going to be used as well, but the school rejected the offer.
    • Goofs
      When Jeff gets kicked out of a supermarket for goofing off, several modern cars pass by from outside.
    • Quotes

      Jeffrey Dahmer: I'm just like anybody else.

    • Crazy credits
      Epilogue:  "On June 18, 1978, Steven Hicks went back to Jeffrey Dahmer's house.  He was never seen again.  In July, 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested and confessed to murdering 17 young men."
    • Connections
      References Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
    • Soundtracks
      5.7.0.5
      Written by Steve Lunt (as Stephen Lunt) and Lol Mason (as Laurence Mason)

      Performed by City Boy

      Courtesy of Cherry Red Records

    User reviews137

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Tonally brilliant, narratively weak
    Taking place over the course of Jeffrey Dahmer's last year in high school, and culminating with the fateful meeting between Dahmer (Ross Lynch) and Steven Hicks (Dave Sorboro), writer/director Marc Meyers's My Friend Dahmer is based on the graphic novel by John Backderf (played in the film by Alex Wolff), who attended the same school as Dahmer, and formed a pseudo-friendship with him. The film is tonally brilliant, coming across like The Breakfast Club (1985) directed by David Fincher, perfectly capturing 80s tackiness. Narratively, however, it's extremely plodding, and could easily have been trimmed by 20 minutes.

    It's also difficult to see what Meyers was trying to achieve; other than a couple of brief moments, we're never given any real access to Dahmer's interiority, so he remains an enigma, always at arm's length (which could have been the point). But is Meyers asking us to feel sympathy for Dahmer because he had a difficult adolescence, came from a broken home, couldn't make friends in school. Or is this simply a character study (if we didn't know it was about Dahmer, it could be any number of examinations of high school awkwardness)?

    The lack of clarity regarding the film's theme is compounded by the scenes where it looks as if Dahmer is about to murder someone, only to stop at the last second. This is an especially strange way to generate tension, insofar as we already know his first murder was Hicks. Also, if the film is actually trying to say something of societal worth regarding serial killers, directionless youth, nature vs. nurture etc, trying to draw an audience into the narrative with the prospect of murder probably isn't the way to go about it. The film also fails to really get into the issues of Dahmer's sexuality, and his confusion and frustration about being gay. It's worth a look, and Lynch's performance is quite something, but if you're already familiar with Dahmer's story, you won't find much insight here.
    helpful•30
    13
    • Bertaut
    • Jun 14, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 2, 2018 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mi amigo Dahmer
    • Filming locations
      • 4480 West Bath Road, Bath Township, Ohio, USA
    • Production companies
      • Ibid Filmworks
      • Aperture Entertainment
      • Attic Light Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,361,611
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $35,545
      • Nov 5, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,436,751
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39:1

    Related news

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    Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Dallas Roberts, Marc Meyers, Alex Wolff, and Ross Lynch in My Friend Dahmer (2017)
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