Equal turns hilarious and disturbing, Friendship is the very definition of “not for everyone.” But as someone who loves Tim Robinson’s particular brand of uncomfortable humor, as well as unsettling movies like One Hour Photo and The Gift (2015), I was all in on this wild ride.
Robinson stars as Craig, one of his typically overconfident weirdos. His wife Tami (Kate Mara) is in remission from cancer, throwing herself into her growing flower business. His teenage son (Jack Dylan Grazer) has no time for him. But when laid-back weatherman Austin (Paul Rudd) moves in down the street, they become fast friends. They push each other personally and professionally, until Craig unsurprisingly takes things too far.
The rejection sends Craig into a spiral, especially as he realizes he has no other male friends, and his own family would rather spend time with anyone besides him. His feeble attempts to chat up his coworkers and even workers at a local cell phone store are cringe comedy on the highest possible level. That’s bound to send some viewers fleeing for the exits. But for me the film got funnier, even as it got increasingly absurd.
Without spoiling anything, an unexpected traumatic event in the second act takes the film out of its relatively grounded portrayal of suburban America and into the surreal. But that event also brings Austin and Craig closer together, especially once an embarrassing secret about the ultra-cool Austin is revealed. The craziness continues to amp up until an explosive finale that takes the film into dangerous territory and delivers an absolutely perfect ending.
Though Robinson’s fingerprints are all over this, the film actually comes from Andrew DeYoung, making his feature debut. He’s directed a lot of TV, specializing in offbeat cult comedies like A.P. Bio, The Other Two, and Our Flag Means Death. He also collaborated with John Early and Kate Berlant on their wildly funny special Would It Kill You to Laugh?, which earned the three of them an Emmy nomination. Friendship shows he’s got a bright future ahead, as long as he can find more kindred spirits to collaborate with.
If you love Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave, you will laugh your ass off at Friendship. But if you can’t stand the yelling and second-hand embarrassment, this will be a nightmare for you.
