so many students strive to get into schools such as harvard of princeton , but they just don't get the good grades . so many students would do anything to reach their goal of getting into this schools . legend has it that if your roommate commits suicide , the remaining roommates will get an automatic 4 . 0 . chris ( michael vartan ) and tim ( matthew lillard ) are two guys who really want the 4 . 0 to get into harvard . how far will they go to get their 4 . 0 ? chris and tim are also roommates with rand , played by randall batinkoff . the two scheme to murder rand , make it look like a suicide , so they can supposedly get their 4 . 0 . they have heard this rumor many places , and they are willing to take the chance to find out . rand is a very , very mean person . he treats his girlfriend natalie , played by tamara craig thomas , like she doesn't matter at all . she is very afraid of him , and she especially afraid now that she must tell him she is pregnant . she does tell him , and he becomes enraged . that night would be the last night of rand's life . tim and chris give rand a bottle of rat poison , making him think that it is beer . rand drinks down the poison , and then dies . now , tim pushes him off of a mountain with a suicide note near the site to make it look like he killed himself . it does not take long until the suicide note is found , but the body isn't found . the police question chris and tim about rand to try and find any information . feeling extreme guilt , chris is having a very hard time , especially with his girlfriend , emma , played by keri russell . she wants to know more , but he will not even speak with her . will he give in ? will tim turn chris in ? will chris turn tim in ? will they turn themselves in ? all of these questions were running through my mind while watching this slick suspense film . the events in the curve are very surprising , original , and fun . the plot sounds much like dead man on campus , but that is not the deal with this film . this film is a very serious one , with not many laughs . there are many twists and turns that make this film different from most films . the ending in particular is completely unpredictable and satisfying . it is a terrific , suspenseful ending that i could never predict would happen . hands down to dan rosen who wrote this wild ride . the sound really stood out in the film . it is quite eerie and it really adds to the feel of the film . the way the movie is filmed is also great . all of the technical aspects , as well as the acting and directing aspects are very well done . the performances in the curve are very good . matthew lillard gets to play another creepy role , just like in 1996's scream . ( a+ ) he is very strange in this film as well . i like him in this sort of role , rather than the roles he has been playing in comedies such as senseless and she's all that . michael vartan is fantastic as chris , who has extremely mixed emotions about the entire murder and the 4 . 0 . michael vartan was also superb in never been kissed , where he co-starred with drew barrymore as a teacher who fell in love with his student . keri russell also gives a great performance . she should be a good actress in the horror department of the film . tamara craig thomas is also realistic , especially coping with the death of her boyfriend . some very strong supporting performances came from smaller roles , such as bo dietl and anthony griffith who play two detectives investigating the case . the bottom line- i might just have to curve that a- into an a . * note- the curve premiered at the sundance film festival in early 1998 . it was decided the film would not be released widely . it is now available at blockbuster video only , and for rent only . see you at the video store !