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Friendship

Year: 2025

Running time: 100

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30505698/reference/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_friendship

Michael says: “This dark buddy comedy succeeds or fails on your knowledge and appreciation of star Tim Robinson, a sketch comic who is best known for his TV show, ‘I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.’ I had never seen nor heard of Tim Robinson, so you can probably guess where I fell on the succeed or fail timeline.  I admit, Robinson is a funny  guy. For about 20 minutes I was laughing out loud and enjoying the rather absurd behavior unfolding on screen. But even then, I was thinking… an entire feature length film of this?

“A story about Craig, a suburban dad who falls for his charismatic new next door neighbor (played with the usual aplomb by Paul Rudd) had a lot of potential, but it just wasn’t sustainable. Plus, Craig’s wife, Tami, may as well have been in entirely different movie. The film’s half-hearted attempts to make her odd enough so you didn’t question why she was married to this guy just made her seem disturbed. First-time narrative director Andrew Young, who also wrote the screenplay, didn’t seem to know where to go, or how to sustain the story for its feature length. It grew exceedingly more painful the longer it went on. 1 1/2 cats

“Screened at the Independent Film Festival Boston, Somerville Theatre”

 

Adam says: “Very funny, with more style and stronger voice than most comedies these days. Narratively a bit of a shrug, though — can’t help but feel like a bunch of sketches loosely stitched together. DeYoung’s finest work for now remains directing the ‘Posh’ episode of Pen15. 3.5 cats”

 

 

Val says: “Craig is completely satisfied with his life, but his wife’s clear unhappiness and encouragement that he makes friends with the neighbor drives him to interrupt his status quo and take a chance on adult friendship.

“Fans of Tim Robinson will absolutely love this absurdist comedy.   I hadn’t seen any of Andrew DeYoung’s work, but I have noticed a trend in comedy that it feels like DeYoung is right at home within – finding the inconsistencies in human character as they play out in micro-interactions, and then expanding those moments into extremes. It’s what ‘I think you Should Leave’ did in the most bald-faced expression, what was perhaps pioneered by shows like Strangers with Candy, and The Mighty Boosh.  The plot flirts with reality but has both feet firmly in the absurd, while offering some genuine moments where the audience can feel empathy with its characters (as well as, of course, pure cringe).  There’s no real foil to Craig’s crazy, since every person in the film has their own brand of odd and no one is truly consistent in their behavior, which I admit can feel disorienting.  But it’s that back-footedness that makes the comedy so… funny!  And just when you think everything might work out, and Craig might finally reclaim his reasonable, safe life, we’re reminded that it’s a film about friendship after all.
“I enjoyed every minute.  5/5 Cats.“
Cobi says: “As a Tim Robinson fan, I was excited, and he and Paul Rudd make a terrific pair — Rudd totally gets the assignment — with Conner O’Malley stealing every scene he touches.
“The film explores the modern white male experience: the weird tension between performing emotional openness and still clinging to traditional masculinity. It captures how strangely difficult adult male friendships can be and sits comfortably alongside the current alt-comedy orbit of Robinson, O’Malley, Joe Pera, Stavros Halkias, Nathan Fielder, etc. Still, Robinson’s sensibility — so well-tuned to short bursts — doesn’t fully transfer to a feature-length structure, and the pacing drags. When it works, it’s hilarious and oddly sweet, just uneven. 3.25 cats “
Friendship

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