FRIENDSHIP -- Painfully Relatable

Review by Adam Donato

Most social butterflies can relate to the experience of trying out a friendship with a new person and realizing you don’t click. Even more outcasts can relate to finally making a connection and then getting ghosted seemingly out of nowhere. Friendship is a film that showcases the fallout of a social situation like that. A relatable concept that will have audiences laughing because it hurts. From television director Andrew DeYoung comes his directorial feature debut. He’s lucky enough to be paired with comedic superstar Tim Robinson and timelessly likable Paul Rudd. With some duds under A24’s name this year so far, can Friendship be a breakout hit?

Tim Robinson is most known for his show I Think You Should Leave. Even if you don’t watch the show, you must’ve been exposed to some of the more popular bits. He’s such an animated comedian and his delivery is second to none right now. In Friendship, he’s not doing something wildly different from what he normally does, but he perfectly masters his specific comedic shtick. This is his first major film exposure outside of his brief voice performance in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how his comedy evolves and if he can channel his raw energy into an Adam Sandler Uncut Gems type performance. His character here is so pathetic and enduring. It will have you cringing with laughter, but also sympathizing with this poor guy who just wants to have a friend.

This isn’t Paul Russ’s first A24 film of the year as Death of a Unicorn failed to score at the box office. His character is so cool, right down to the fact that he up front tells Robinson’s character politely that he doesn’t want to hang out. Nobody likes a break up and it’s admirable that he is upfront and honest. Both him and Robinson are very funny and very relatable in opposite ways. Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer play the wife and son of Robinson’s character. Mara’s performance is very straight and the film is not as engaging when they’re focusing on their marriage dynamic. Dylan Grazer is totally underutilized for how funny of a young actor he is. Also a shoutout to Connor O’Malley who delivers the funniest line in the movie. 

With a slow roll out release date, word of mouth is sure to carry Friendship to the promised land. It’s wall to wall funny that had the entire screening in stitches. Robinson clearly has that It factor right now and this performance should expose more people to his brand of comedy. This is a much needed win for Paul Rudd who can use the street cred right now as most blockbuster fans still have the bad taste of the Ant Man and Ghostbusters sequels in their mouth. Be sure to catch Friendship in a theater as it is far and away the funniest film of the year thus far. 

Friendship is in theaters now and expanding on May 23.

Rating: 5/5