Could you deal with saying that your best friend is a vampire? For the co-star in this film, it is not an easy thing, but, fortunately, he has some turtlenecks and scarves.

Life for Jeremy Capello (Robert Sean Leonard) was pretty simple until he delivered groceries to the old Gardner Mansion and met a beautiful but mysterious woman named Nora (Cecelia Peck). Nothing has been simple since his midnight rendezvous with Nora, which was interrupted when Professor Leopold McCarthy (David Warner) and his assistant Grimedyke (Paul Willson) kicked in the door and tried to kill them.

Now, the professor is stalking Jeremy's best friend, Ralph (Evan Mirand); Jeremy is undergoing strange changes; his parents believe he is gay; a weird man named Modoc (Rene Auberjonois) is trying to convince Jeremy that he is a vampire; and the girl of his dreams, Darla (Cheryl Pollack), never wants to lay eyes on him again.

Before Jeremy can read his new vampire instructional manual, the professor kidnaps Ralph with every intention of putting a stake through his heart. Jeremy has to figure out some way to save Ralph, while avoiding every cop in Houston in a stolen police cruiser.

My Best Friend is a Vampire gets my vote for the vampire film with the most car chase scenes. It also takes the prize for best mess in which to abandon a driver's education instructor.

This movie is anything but a horror, and you get so caught up in all the action that you actually do forget that Jeremy is a vampire ... and there is plenty of action to keep you distracted from the vampire aspect.

It is also a laugh-a-minute. Okay, maybe not that often, because it does have more than a few tense moments. Still, it is a real hoot and will make you laugh many times.

The subplots are so closely related to the plot that it is difficult to distinguish them at times. This technique does not build tension like a related but independent set of subplots. The writing would have been much better if it had built more tension.

The acting is fine. I especially enjoyed Auberjonois as the ever-so-patient vampire teacher, but Evan Mirand is the actor who stands out from the pack. He infuses his character with myriad moods and emotions without ever becoming too dramatic. He is just the wannabe stud muffin trying to remain cool under pressure. You really have to love him for trying.

My Best Friend is a Vampire is a fun film that is sure to make you laugh.