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The Advertiser
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Man, friendship has its challenges - just ask adult blokes
Friendship (M, 100 minutes) 4 stars It's not breaking news to say men don't always do friendship very well. I've heard it said that while female friendship is largely face to face - communicating - male friendship tends to be side by side - doing an activity together. Emotional vulnerability is not necessarily what men are good at, but sometimes they're not even very adroit at the basic social rituals and dynamics of maleness. This is a film about something that will be painfully familiar to many men. Making new friends can be hard, especially as you get older, and closeness is even harder. If you're not a natural joiner or someone who's gregarious and prepossessing, it's tough to break into established friendship groups or ingratiate yourself with individuals, isn't it? Asking for a friend. Many scenes from this dark comedy feel like they could have been skits in Netflix's I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson. There's the same blend of cringiness and deft exaggeration seen in that show's best bits, and its eponymous star and co-creator plays the lead role here. He was an obvious choice, but he's not the movie's primary creative force. Friendship is the feature film debut of writer-director Andrew DeYoung, who's worked extensively in TV. And very impressive it is too, a comedy that's not entirely predictable and that has something to say. Craig (Robinson) is a suburban husband and father whose life isn't going too well. His marriage to cancer survivor Tami (Kate Mara) is shaky - he's emotionally distant and clumsy, not even terribly supportive of the flower business she runs from home. And things aren't great with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Glazer) either: mother and son have a close bond that eludes him. Craig is not evil, just clueless and a bit insensitive, a square peg in life's round hole. It's not surprising his wife is reconnecting with her ex (as friends, she says) and also not surprising that Craig feels threatened by this but doesn't know how to deal with it. The arrival of a new neighbour seems it will be just the thing to reinvigorate Craig and his connection to life. Austin (Paul Rudd) is a local celebrity, a popular TV weatherman who's very personable. He and Craig quickly hit it off and do things. Austin takes Craig exploring in the town's aqueduct, Craig goes to see Austin's punk rock band perform. This new friendship even helps Craig forge better relationships with his wife and son. It seems too good to be true, and, of course, it is. Craig is maladroit and so desperate he acts inappropriately. He crashes Austin's studio during a broadcast and, invited to a guys' night with Austin and his friends, he injures his host. What he does to try to atone for it is bizarre and offputting. Exasperated, Austin tells him bluntly that the friendship is over. Being ostracised really stings and seeing Austin and his friends - who manage to be both blokey and sensitive - hanging out only gnaws at Craig more. His actions become increasingly obsessive and unhinged. The script contrives ways to bring the men together in the latter stages that occasionally jar but it's easy to just go with things. This is a comedy, but its serious undercurrent and measured tone and pace - this isn't a manic gagfest - might take getting used to, as might the unusual choice of ecclesiastical music on the soundtrack alongside tribal chants and pop songs. But it's the product of a distinctive talent behind the camera working with an excellent cast. DeYoung doesn't make the mistake of making Craig a monster or Austin a saint. Even when Craig is self-sabotaging and behaving badly, you can feel for him: a lot of it is borne of loneliness and desperation and not knowing how to fit in. Mara and Glazer don't get many comic opportunities but play off Robinson well. Although Austin is played by the likeable Rudd, there's something just a tiny bit offputting about him: if Craig is one of life's losers, Austin is a slick winner with a charmed life: even when the two are arrested for trespassing, the cops ask the weatherman for selfies. Austin has one vulnerability that Craig discovers: what will he do with it? Side note, it's interesting how many of the (male) characters casually smoke cigarettes, going against the trend in recent decades both on screen and off. It will be interesting to see what comes next from DeYoung. Friendship (M, 100 minutes) 4 stars It's not breaking news to say men don't always do friendship very well. I've heard it said that while female friendship is largely face to face - communicating - male friendship tends to be side by side - doing an activity together. Emotional vulnerability is not necessarily what men are good at, but sometimes they're not even very adroit at the basic social rituals and dynamics of maleness. This is a film about something that will be painfully familiar to many men. Making new friends can be hard, especially as you get older, and closeness is even harder. If you're not a natural joiner or someone who's gregarious and prepossessing, it's tough to break into established friendship groups or ingratiate yourself with individuals, isn't it? Asking for a friend. Many scenes from this dark comedy feel like they could have been skits in Netflix's I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson. There's the same blend of cringiness and deft exaggeration seen in that show's best bits, and its eponymous star and co-creator plays the lead role here. He was an obvious choice, but he's not the movie's primary creative force. Friendship is the feature film debut of writer-director Andrew DeYoung, who's worked extensively in TV. And very impressive it is too, a comedy that's not entirely predictable and that has something to say. Craig (Robinson) is a suburban husband and father whose life isn't going too well. His marriage to cancer survivor Tami (Kate Mara) is shaky - he's emotionally distant and clumsy, not even terribly supportive of the flower business she runs from home. And things aren't great with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Glazer) either: mother and son have a close bond that eludes him. Craig is not evil, just clueless and a bit insensitive, a square peg in life's round hole. It's not surprising his wife is reconnecting with her ex (as friends, she says) and also not surprising that Craig feels threatened by this but doesn't know how to deal with it. The arrival of a new neighbour seems it will be just the thing to reinvigorate Craig and his connection to life. Austin (Paul Rudd) is a local celebrity, a popular TV weatherman who's very personable. He and Craig quickly hit it off and do things. Austin takes Craig exploring in the town's aqueduct, Craig goes to see Austin's punk rock band perform. This new friendship even helps Craig forge better relationships with his wife and son. It seems too good to be true, and, of course, it is. Craig is maladroit and so desperate he acts inappropriately. He crashes Austin's studio during a broadcast and, invited to a guys' night with Austin and his friends, he injures his host. What he does to try to atone for it is bizarre and offputting. Exasperated, Austin tells him bluntly that the friendship is over. Being ostracised really stings and seeing Austin and his friends - who manage to be both blokey and sensitive - hanging out only gnaws at Craig more. His actions become increasingly obsessive and unhinged. The script contrives ways to bring the men together in the latter stages that occasionally jar but it's easy to just go with things. This is a comedy, but its serious undercurrent and measured tone and pace - this isn't a manic gagfest - might take getting used to, as might the unusual choice of ecclesiastical music on the soundtrack alongside tribal chants and pop songs. But it's the product of a distinctive talent behind the camera working with an excellent cast. DeYoung doesn't make the mistake of making Craig a monster or Austin a saint. Even when Craig is self-sabotaging and behaving badly, you can feel for him: a lot of it is borne of loneliness and desperation and not knowing how to fit in. Mara and Glazer don't get many comic opportunities but play off Robinson well. Although Austin is played by the likeable Rudd, there's something just a tiny bit offputting about him: if Craig is one of life's losers, Austin is a slick winner with a charmed life: even when the two are arrested for trespassing, the cops ask the weatherman for selfies. Austin has one vulnerability that Craig discovers: what will he do with it? Side note, it's interesting how many of the (male) characters casually smoke cigarettes, going against the trend in recent decades both on screen and off. It will be interesting to see what comes next from DeYoung. Friendship (M, 100 minutes) 4 stars It's not breaking news to say men don't always do friendship very well. I've heard it said that while female friendship is largely face to face - communicating - male friendship tends to be side by side - doing an activity together. Emotional vulnerability is not necessarily what men are good at, but sometimes they're not even very adroit at the basic social rituals and dynamics of maleness. This is a film about something that will be painfully familiar to many men. Making new friends can be hard, especially as you get older, and closeness is even harder. If you're not a natural joiner or someone who's gregarious and prepossessing, it's tough to break into established friendship groups or ingratiate yourself with individuals, isn't it? Asking for a friend. Many scenes from this dark comedy feel like they could have been skits in Netflix's I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson. There's the same blend of cringiness and deft exaggeration seen in that show's best bits, and its eponymous star and co-creator plays the lead role here. He was an obvious choice, but he's not the movie's primary creative force. Friendship is the feature film debut of writer-director Andrew DeYoung, who's worked extensively in TV. And very impressive it is too, a comedy that's not entirely predictable and that has something to say. Craig (Robinson) is a suburban husband and father whose life isn't going too well. His marriage to cancer survivor Tami (Kate Mara) is shaky - he's emotionally distant and clumsy, not even terribly supportive of the flower business she runs from home. And things aren't great with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Glazer) either: mother and son have a close bond that eludes him. Craig is not evil, just clueless and a bit insensitive, a square peg in life's round hole. It's not surprising his wife is reconnecting with her ex (as friends, she says) and also not surprising that Craig feels threatened by this but doesn't know how to deal with it. The arrival of a new neighbour seems it will be just the thing to reinvigorate Craig and his connection to life. Austin (Paul Rudd) is a local celebrity, a popular TV weatherman who's very personable. He and Craig quickly hit it off and do things. Austin takes Craig exploring in the town's aqueduct, Craig goes to see Austin's punk rock band perform. This new friendship even helps Craig forge better relationships with his wife and son. It seems too good to be true, and, of course, it is. Craig is maladroit and so desperate he acts inappropriately. He crashes Austin's studio during a broadcast and, invited to a guys' night with Austin and his friends, he injures his host. What he does to try to atone for it is bizarre and offputting. Exasperated, Austin tells him bluntly that the friendship is over. Being ostracised really stings and seeing Austin and his friends - who manage to be both blokey and sensitive - hanging out only gnaws at Craig more. His actions become increasingly obsessive and unhinged. The script contrives ways to bring the men together in the latter stages that occasionally jar but it's easy to just go with things. This is a comedy, but its serious undercurrent and measured tone and pace - this isn't a manic gagfest - might take getting used to, as might the unusual choice of ecclesiastical music on the soundtrack alongside tribal chants and pop songs. But it's the product of a distinctive talent behind the camera working with an excellent cast. DeYoung doesn't make the mistake of making Craig a monster or Austin a saint. Even when Craig is self-sabotaging and behaving badly, you can feel for him: a lot of it is borne of loneliness and desperation and not knowing how to fit in. Mara and Glazer don't get many comic opportunities but play off Robinson well. Although Austin is played by the likeable Rudd, there's something just a tiny bit offputting about him: if Craig is one of life's losers, Austin is a slick winner with a charmed life: even when the two are arrested for trespassing, the cops ask the weatherman for selfies. Austin has one vulnerability that Craig discovers: what will he do with it? Side note, it's interesting how many of the (male) characters casually smoke cigarettes, going against the trend in recent decades both on screen and off. It will be interesting to see what comes next from DeYoung. Friendship (M, 100 minutes) 4 stars It's not breaking news to say men don't always do friendship very well. I've heard it said that while female friendship is largely face to face - communicating - male friendship tends to be side by side - doing an activity together. Emotional vulnerability is not necessarily what men are good at, but sometimes they're not even very adroit at the basic social rituals and dynamics of maleness. This is a film about something that will be painfully familiar to many men. Making new friends can be hard, especially as you get older, and closeness is even harder. If you're not a natural joiner or someone who's gregarious and prepossessing, it's tough to break into established friendship groups or ingratiate yourself with individuals, isn't it? Asking for a friend. Many scenes from this dark comedy feel like they could have been skits in Netflix's I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson. There's the same blend of cringiness and deft exaggeration seen in that show's best bits, and its eponymous star and co-creator plays the lead role here. He was an obvious choice, but he's not the movie's primary creative force. Friendship is the feature film debut of writer-director Andrew DeYoung, who's worked extensively in TV. And very impressive it is too, a comedy that's not entirely predictable and that has something to say. Craig (Robinson) is a suburban husband and father whose life isn't going too well. His marriage to cancer survivor Tami (Kate Mara) is shaky - he's emotionally distant and clumsy, not even terribly supportive of the flower business she runs from home. And things aren't great with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Glazer) either: mother and son have a close bond that eludes him. Craig is not evil, just clueless and a bit insensitive, a square peg in life's round hole. It's not surprising his wife is reconnecting with her ex (as friends, she says) and also not surprising that Craig feels threatened by this but doesn't know how to deal with it. The arrival of a new neighbour seems it will be just the thing to reinvigorate Craig and his connection to life. Austin (Paul Rudd) is a local celebrity, a popular TV weatherman who's very personable. He and Craig quickly hit it off and do things. Austin takes Craig exploring in the town's aqueduct, Craig goes to see Austin's punk rock band perform. This new friendship even helps Craig forge better relationships with his wife and son. It seems too good to be true, and, of course, it is. Craig is maladroit and so desperate he acts inappropriately. He crashes Austin's studio during a broadcast and, invited to a guys' night with Austin and his friends, he injures his host. What he does to try to atone for it is bizarre and offputting. Exasperated, Austin tells him bluntly that the friendship is over. Being ostracised really stings and seeing Austin and his friends - who manage to be both blokey and sensitive - hanging out only gnaws at Craig more. His actions become increasingly obsessive and unhinged. The script contrives ways to bring the men together in the latter stages that occasionally jar but it's easy to just go with things. This is a comedy, but its serious undercurrent and measured tone and pace - this isn't a manic gagfest - might take getting used to, as might the unusual choice of ecclesiastical music on the soundtrack alongside tribal chants and pop songs. But it's the product of a distinctive talent behind the camera working with an excellent cast. DeYoung doesn't make the mistake of making Craig a monster or Austin a saint. Even when Craig is self-sabotaging and behaving badly, you can feel for him: a lot of it is borne of loneliness and desperation and not knowing how to fit in. Mara and Glazer don't get many comic opportunities but play off Robinson well. Although Austin is played by the likeable Rudd, there's something just a tiny bit offputting about him: if Craig is one of life's losers, Austin is a slick winner with a charmed life: even when the two are arrested for trespassing, the cops ask the weatherman for selfies. Austin has one vulnerability that Craig discovers: what will he do with it? Side note, it's interesting how many of the (male) characters casually smoke cigarettes, going against the trend in recent decades both on screen and off. It will be interesting to see what comes next from DeYoung.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
In ‘Friendship,' Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd push cringe comedy to its breaking point
Cringe comedy is apparently here to stay, and the latest example is 'Friendship.' The film highlights the talents of sketch comic Tim Robinson, a Second City and 'Saturday Night Live' alum. If you're a fan of his 'I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson' series, which has been running intermittently on Netflix since 2019, you'll likely love 'Friendship.' But his style of constant escalation doesn't mesh with my sensibilities, which generally require more subtlety. Still, his concepts, which explore uncomfortable social and workplace interactions, often hit a painful spot of recognition. We've all been there — well, until things get super outrageous. 'Friendship' stars Robinson as Craig Waterman, an advertising executive whose big talk hides a massive inferiority complex. He not only doesn't feel respected by his co-workers, but also by his wife Tami (Kate Mara) and teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer of the 'It' and 'Shazam!' movies). The movie opens with Tami, a cancer survivor, confessing at a couples support group that she hasn't had an orgasm since before her cancer. 'I'm orgasming just fine,' Craig tells the group defensively. Then Craig meets his next-door neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd of the 'Ant-Man' movies, who also executive produces), who exudes charisma and masculinity. He's a TV weatherman but also plays guitar in a band and will spontaneously do things like hunt for wild mushrooms. More Information 'Friendship': Comedy. Starring Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd and Kate Mara. Directed by Andrew DeYoung. (R. 100 minutes.) In theaters Friday, May 16. For Craig, meeting Austin is like walking through a mysterious portal into a new and exciting life. That is, until he goes too far — much too far — and spoils the friendship. That unlocks an ugly side of Craig that becomes weirder and weirder. 'Friendship' is almost a horror film instead of a comedy. In fact, Robinson has said his favorite movie is Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), and one can see a bit of Robert Walker's sad villain in Craig. But what works occasionally in bite-sized chunks on Netflix — episodes of 'I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson' run about 15 minutes — becomes harder to pull off at feature-film length. The biggest problem is, with the exception of Craig, the characters are inconsistent and will change on a dime. Rudd's Austin is sometimes a completely different person from scene to scene, as if writer-director Andrew DeYoung were trying to fit the characters to the plot requirements instead of vice versa. Note that cringe comedy is largely a portrait of toxic masculinity. In the past six months, audiences have gotten Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain,' which won a best supporting actor Oscar for Kieran Culkin for his role as a character given to unfiltered emotional outbursts; and Michael Angarano's 'Sacramento,' about onetime best friends (Angarano and Michael Cera) who take a road trip to the state capital hoping to shed their immaturity and embrace adulthood. Male loneliness and insecurity is a thing and the subject of much discussion in media. For me, though, there's only so much cringe you can binge.
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Friendship': You've got a fiend in me
Conversely, there's a comedy like 'Friendship,' which is well-edited by Sophie Corra, nicely shot by Andy Rydzewski, and competently acted by Advertisement None of these positive assets matter, because this film has exactly one funny moment in it. I was the only person at my screening to laugh; again, that speaks to the subjectiveness of comedy. Unfortunately, this is also a cringe comedy film, which means the humor requires you to react a certain way. If you aren't disturbed or discomfited, the jokes are even less amusing. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Fans of the hit Netflix sketch show, 'I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson,' will recognize the type of character Robinson plays. The actor specializes in surreal situations involving characters who make life uncomfortable for others and, by extension, elicits cringes from the viewer. The episodes, which can be quite amusing in spots, run just under 20 minutes. By comparison, this movie is 5 times as long and has just one laugh. Advertisement Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer in the movie 'Friendship.' Courtesy of A24 Robinson's character, Craig, is an apparent loner with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and a teenaged son, Steven (Jack Dylan Glazer). Tami sends her husband to a get-together thrown by their new neighbor, Austin (Rudd). The two men briefly met earlier, when Craig brought Austin a package erroneously delivered to his house. There's an immediate spark of bromance in Craig's eye, and who can blame him? It's Paul Rudd! Since Craig is a Tim Robinson character, we expect his attempts to bond with Austin to go awry in over-the-top fashion. And you can see most of those moments in the trailer, including a scene that ruins the Eventually, Austin decides Craig is too much trouble and ends their burgeoning friendship. This decision turns Craig into a jealous stalker. He shows up at Austin's morning show gig and has fantasies about saving his life. He even breaks into Austin's house, stealing his gun in the process. What was it that Chekhov said about guns that appear in the first act? Unlike his Netflix show, Robinson didn't write 'Friendship' —Andrew DeYoung writes and directs. However, I've seen this film being touted as a feature-length version of a Tim Robinson sketch, and therein lies the problem. There is not enough material, characterization, or plot in a 10 minute sketch to sustain an entire movie. Stretching out the runtime defeats the entire purpose of a sketch's length. Just think about the endless series of terrible ' Advertisement Tim Robinson in the movie 'Friendship.' Courtesy of A24 Robinson's dedicated commitment to the bit is a given, but the bit is so one-dimensional that Craig stops being believable or human. He's just an empty plot device that screams 'what off-putting, nonsensical thing can I do that will upset the viewer?' I didn't cringe while watching any of Craig's behavior, because this movie is too afraid to go anywhere dangerous. I've seen this film compared to ' The cynical tagline on the poster says 'men shouldn't be friends,' but the reason isn't the fear of platonic love being misinterpreted by outsiders as romantic, or even the heteronormative nonsense that makes some guys believe that sharing their feelings with their pals is somehow gay. Those misguided ideas are rooted in a reality that can be mined for discomfort. All 'Friendship' offers is a ChatGPT version of a human being desperately seeking camaraderie for no discernible or believable reason. I kept asking myself why anyone would want to be around him in the first place, let alone marry him. DeYoung misses a ripe opportunity to use Tami as a means of grounding Craig in some semblance of reality. Despite my disdain, I sincerely hope that if you see this movie, you'll laugh more than I did. You don't deserve the aggravation I felt after leaving the theater. Advertisement ★1/2 FRIENDSHIP Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung. Starring Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara. At Coolidge Corner, AMC Boston Common, Landmark Kendall Square. 100 min. R (profanities yelled on both sides of the screen) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
