We usually hold quite some discussions on the challenges of making new friends in our later years. Our lives put us in limited circumscribing patterns which discourage the idea of self-in other forms, like socialization. Having said that, have you ever come across a person who is unfazed by such barriers and is ready to be a friend too quickly or, worse, tries too hard to be one? There we go, getting along, spending time together, so when the dosh is spent and I as a person get installed somewhere, lights start flickering now and again. The premise of Andrew DeYoung’s new film, Friendship, takes a twist of this idea, and cranks it up as much as possible thanks to cringe expert Tim Robinson.
Many parts of the movie rest on comedy from I Think you should leave which is a Netflix show by Tim Robinson, The advantages of an intelligent ‘friendship’ are calm thoughts which come through. Meanwhile, DeYoung lets his protagonist loose and goes on a tizzy desiring to destroy everything.
At first, it seems that Craig Waterman (Robinson) is just another typical suburban family man within the society of 2024. Craig pitches ideas on how to make apps more engaging at a communications company. Craig spends his free time hyping “the new Marvel” movie and buys new Ocean View Dining attire as it is cut to his frame.
Tami (Kate Mara), Craig’s wife, manages a floristic company but is a bit frustrated about the small size of her car. They have a teenage son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer), who is a nice kid. What more does a man in his middle age needs? Apparently a lot as we come to know subsequent to his receiving a wrong package that was meant for a guy who lives next door. Craig gets to know Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd) while moving in and sees in him a future potential friend.
Looking back at the previous time, Craig’s idea of danger would perhaps have been attempting a conservative, local restaurant-challenge-seal team 6 where one would consume a whopping twenty thousand calories’ worth of food. But Austin, see, he’s different. Who else can turn out to be a watch wear collectors’ dream – a cool geuilrologist who possesses and understands the chronology of antique items and has ideas of hidden tunnels beneath. All of this is exciting to Craig because he stares at Coligan with stoic admiration. Austin is everything that Craig aspires to be right from being a rock band member in the evening.
As such, Craig is misshapen; there is no natty within him or any module for excitement modulation. He blunders about much too much because he speaks too much he tells the right thing at the wrong time and he does inappropriate things when the situation is not running according to the script or his expectations. When the main chord is defined DeYoung appears to allow Robinson to run amok to a rather vast wilderness where he makes in fact some very outlandish observations brimmed with tons of banter where he seems to swing from heaven to hell and back. Based on the character of scenes that made Rudd parody his earlier time-line as Brian “yeah me” Fantana in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Rudd knows how to rougue and bum. In this case, he meshes perfectly with Robinson’s unbearable craziness. The same can be said about Mara and Dylan Grazer who enhance Craig’s deteriorating mental state.
So we know what usually follows when Austin asks Craig to spend some time with his friends, and I feel anxiety creeping up. The get together at this point is also marked by a group rendition of the Ghost Town DJs “My Boo” which subsequently becomes an infamous running gag. The closing part requires a distinctly uncomfortable move from Austin, one that is closely likened to a platonic breakup. But what do you do when a mate stands his ground and refuses to cut the tag? Craig is quite sleek about winning back the affection of Austin in a rather desperate way. It’s at that point where Friendship tilts at the helix standing in two spheres.
As Craig’s life spins uncontrollably, Robinson hops about with the film’s shaky second half from one nutty tale to the next, but eventually, there arrives a moment when the film resembles a string of barely believable episodes in search of an ending. At times, Friendship Idol seems to be contains some inner struggles where it desires to monopolize its cringe comedy as much as possible instead of developing the relatable aspects of friendship and loneliness. Sometimes it just feels like a series of abrupt cut-to cuts of half impressions.
Craig has a lot of sarcasm, which some people would find distasteful. On the flip side, at least he tries to drive oneself to the finish line. Doesn’t it really matter in the end? DeYoung brings up the issues raised by the film by making a case for both points. Such ambivalence one gets closer to those like Craig, but wonders if a person like this will ever find the people who are needed. I suppose everyone has some sort of thin layer of friendship that results into vulnerability (yes even men) regardless of what mask they try to show – but what if most of us are beyond hope? Friendship eventually disentangles itself from the mild each loopy and mercurial in the later half and finally returns to its issues but this time the return has unsurpassable care and depth.
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