Written by: Andrew DeYoung
Starring: Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Paul Rudd
Rating: [4/5]
Making new friends when reaching adulthood does not come with the same ease as earlier in life. Responsibilities limit the amount of free time one generally has, with previously established friendships taking precedent above anything necessarily new. We see this play out this way specifically with men, which Friendship points out in the most hilariously uncomfortable manner. A film that will make you look away from the cringe involved but delivers what everyone would expect from a film starring Tim Robinson.
Mostly going through the motions in his life adrift from his family, Craig (Tim Robinson) hears a knock at his door and finds his neighbor, Craig (Paul Rudd) delivering a package mistakenly given to him. They strike up a conversation and a friendship that makes Craig more attentive with his life, until a few complications arise.
There’s a distinct humor Tim Robinson possesses that nearly makes him an acquired taste. Someone who watches one of his sketches may come away confused with the whole shtick, but once you get on his wavelength, it becomes obvious he is a comedic madman. This becomes more evident when watching his sketch comedy show “I Think You Should Leave,” where you get to witness this all in display hilariously. Therefore, the prospect of getting a film-length iteration of this humor is something I very much wanted to see, and it surely delivered.
At the core of this story, we have a unique individual in Craig, but also someone who represents many men at this particular stage in life. The male loneliness epidemic has received much attention as of late, and it’s very real, as most of the time men stick with the friends they made in college or earlier. It leaves this gap for those who do not have these preestablished relationships with a difficulty in connecting with other men. Seeing how Craig latches onto Austin from the onset of their friendship has such an endearing aspect to it, portrayed quite well by Robinson. However, it makes the eventual disintegration of the relationship that much more harmful to our lead character.
After a moment of awkwardness, Craig goes on this spiral that reaffirms exactly what makes Robinson such a unique performer, and his team up with Andrew DeYoung makes for some truly entertainingly unwatchable scenes. All of this in the best way, of course, seeing as this is where Robinson thrives. Craig’s crash out becomes quite the sight to behold as it makes the audience question his sanity, but again at the core of this film we have a man seeking connections with others like him. Sure, the guy is a bit strange and given some of his actions, you may act the same way as Austin in staying away from him, but this unrelenting determination comes from a place of deep-seated loneliness and a desire to find community. Navigating the sadness and hilarity of this subject ultimately speaks quite highly to all involved.
While Tim Robinson deservedly runs the show as the star, the casting of Paul Rudd was a tremendous idea given the persona the actor effortlessly provides to any production he joins. Rudd has this affability to him that makes him easy to like, where anyone would enjoy being his friend. It makes complete sense that Craig would grow an attachment to him. An attachment, evidently, that would drive him insane. Rudd radiates in this role, which makes what further develops later on all the funnier, given how he reacts to Craig’s behavior and how this entire situation impacts his life. Very much playing the everyday straight man to Craig’s enigmatic character makes works exquisitely well.
Wildly enjoyable with all the cringe one could expect from a film headlining Tim Robinson, Friendship does more than entertain as it shines a light on the difficulty in cultivating new male friendships. With all the wacky stuff that happens, this feature has a sneakily large heart, getting at kernels of truth presented in such an uncomfortable manner. This all stems from Tim Robinson, who has this innate ability to play this distinct humor unlike anyone else. His specific brand of comedy just clicks, and it fires on all cylinders here.
Films with Josh 
