Friendship (Andrew DeYoung, 2024, USA)

Friendship is the feature film debut of director Andrew DeYoung, and essentially the feature starring debut of comedian Tim Robinson. Friendship is being branded as a comedy, but it is far from a conventional comedy. Tim Robinson has leaned into the cringe comedy lane with his Netflix series I Think You Should Leave, and Friendship is largely an extension of the kind of surreal humor on that show. The film centers on Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson), a “normal” guy who becomes infatuated with his neighbor, a news anchorman named Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd).

At first, Craig and Austin get along well. Perhaps too well. Austin is a musician in a punk rock band in his spare time, and he takes Craig on adventures. Things take a turn for the worse when Craig takes a cheap shot at Austin during a friendly boxing match among friends. This leads to Austin excommunicating Craig from his friend group, and largely leads to Craig’s downward spiral. It is hard to describe Friendship tonally. It is not pure absurdism - at some level, the film still operates in the world of reality. At the same time, the way the characters talk, interact, and behave bears no resemblance to reality as we know it.

The cumulative effect is to create a sense of tension throughout the film, as we understand that these characters are unlike anyone we actually know. The film is clearly some meditation on male friendship and loneliness in our current modern age, and Craig’s obsession is close enough to reality that it becomes genuinely disturbing. That said, the film is far from being a drag. The film offers unique choices, including the exceptional score composed by Keegan DeWitt. The interplay between Robinson and Paul Rudd is worth watching the film for alone.

8/10