Friendship review

FRIENDSHIP: 

TIM ROBINSON AND PAUL RUDD’S OUTRAGEOUSLY DEMENTED BROMANCE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

A24

Paul Rudd in Friendship

 

            Tim Robinson (Saturday Night Live, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, I Think You Should Leave) and Paul Rudd (Anchorman 1 and 2, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Death of a Unicorn) join forces to bring I Love You, Man meets The Banshees of Inisherin in Friendship, the new black comedy from A24 and director Andrew DeYoung in his directorial debut. This was on my list to see the moment I saw the trailer in front of Death of a Unicorn (Another A24 project starring Paul Rudd that came out earlier this year) though it was initially released the same weekend as Final Destination: Bloodlines. 

            But now that I got that, Lilo & Stitch, and Mission: Impossible out of the way, I can finally talk about Friendship after hearing all the hype it got and extremely positive word of mouth. Yeah, everyone’s right, this movie’s a blast though not exactly in a “feel-good” sort of way, more on that later. 

            The film follows Craig Waterman (Robinson), a socially awkward marketing executive who yearns to be friends with his neighbor, a charismatic but unfulfilled weatherman named Austin Carmichael (Rudd) after a package mix-up in the mail. However, as their bond strengthens, Craig becomes infatuated with Austin to the point where his attempts at making an adult male friend threatens to ruin both of their lives. 

            The film also stars Kata Mara (Brokeback Mountain, House of Cards, The Martian) as Craig’s wife Tami, Jack Dylan Grazer (It: Chapters 1 and 2, Shazam! 1 and 2, Luca) as Craig’s son Steven, Josh Segarra (Orange Is the New Black, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Scream VI) as Devon, Billy Bryk (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Hell of a Summer, Saturday Night) as Tony, Jon Glasser (Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Delocated, Parks and Recreation) as Big Sam, Conner O’Malley (Palm Springs, Bodies Bodies Bodies, I Saw the TV Glow) as Patton, Daniel London (Patch Adams, Rent, Concussion) as Stan, Whitmer Thomas (Poor Paul, Stone Quackers, Weapons) as Ian, Raphael Sbarge (Carnosaur, The Guardian, The Exorcist: Believer) as Garrett, and Ivy Wolk (Anora) as Jen Peyser. 

            Overall, Friendship is a hilarious, unpredictable, and darkly fascinating “Bromance” about… well, friendship told in the most A24 way imaginable. It is definitely still a comedy and is quite funny, but a lot of the humor comes from how far Tim Robinson’s Craig will go to be friends with Paul Rudd’s Austin which gets a lot of laughs yet you also pity the poor man at the same time because he is clearly not right in the head and almost comes off like a slasher movie villain. 

            

            I was often reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry tries to break up with an annoying friend played by Kevin Dunn as I was watching it, but with a much sicker sense of humor and leans more into the unexpected. One minute you’re laughing at Tim Robinson accidentally whamming into a sliding door at Paul Rudd’s house and the glass shatters and the next you’re watching him break into said house and take a handgun that Rudd was hiding in a box. 

            It’s the kind of movie where you’re laughing, but you’re not always proud of what you’re laughing at onscreen. It is not a studio comedy and the majority of laughs will depend on your tolerance of certain kinds of humor. 

            I haven’t seen Tim Robinson in many other things, but I thought he was pitch perfect in this movie as an awkward man who just wants to be friends with Paul Rudd and the lengths he’ll go to make it happen. He does a spectacular job finding comedy in the most pitiful of situations and loved seeing his inevitable descent into lunacy while also legit feeling sorry for him at the same time. 

            Paul Rudd is also great as the neighbor Robinson befriends who starts off as a quirky weatherman, but after a few scenes becomes the straight man to Robinson’s anarchy. I found him very believable in this movie and the scenario he’s in is pretty relatable for those who has or had a friend that was obsessive about their friendship. 

Rudd questions whether or not he should be friends with this guy but also doesn’t want to come off as a rude jackass for telling Robinson the truth. Robinson and Rudd carry the entire film and it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if not for their involvement. 

Friendship is definitely not for everyone, but if you have a tolerance for comedies with a dark and twisted sense of humor like The Cable Guy or The Banshees of Inisherin, this is worth checking out and it’s especially fun to watch in a theater with a crowd laughing and reacting along. Grab your friends, head out to the theater, and watch the most unexpected story of friendship you’ll ever see told in pure A24 insanity.