“Friendship”
(USA)
Metacritic (1/10), Letterboxd (0.5/5), Imdb.com (1/10), TMDB.com (1/10), Imdb.com critics review
#BrentMarchant #Friendship #PaulRudd #TimRobinson #malebonding #juvenilefilmmaking #bromance #CriticsChoiceAward #IndependentSpiritAward #NationalBoardofReview
I truly admire the offbeat and outrageous when it comes to movie comedies. At the same time, though, I’m also the first one to take pictures to task that allegedly aspire to these qualities and utterly fail horrendously. Such is the case with this debut feature from writer-director Andrew DeYoung, a supposedly subversive, allegedly hilarious look at the subject of male bonding that falls positively flat at every juncture. “Friendship” follows the ridiculously implausible adventures of neighbors Austin (Paul Rudd) and Craig (Tim Robinson), whose juvenile, irresponsible antics are so completely unfathomable that any viewer with even the smallest modicum of intelligence can’t possibly begin to take any of this nonsense seriously. Their episodic story plays like a live action version of Family Guy or Beavis and Butthead, vehicles that may be fine for animation but that can’t cut it in a legitimate cinematic format. I honestly could not wait for the closing credits to roll on this one, checking my watch constantly as I struggled to sit through this painful, misguided attempt at poking fun at bromances, making seemingly well-balanced men look like brain-dead morons. Given that, it’s mind-boggling how this project ever got the green light and even more baffling at the undeserved gushing love letters that have been sent its way. The honors it has received also genuinely stretch credibility beyond all reasonable limits, including a Critics Choice Award nomination for best comedy (ironic considering that its inherent stupidity is not the least bit funny), an Independent Spirit Award nod for best first screenplay (easily the picture’s weakest attribute) and a National Board of Review designation as one of 2025’s Top 10 Independent Films. Indeed, if this celluloid trainwreck is any indication of the current state of movie comedies, the industry is in bigger trouble than any of us can possibly imagine.