IMDB.com
By Keith Walther
Finally, a straight-up comedy worth seeing! “Friendship” turns an awkward bromance into an excursion of hilarity that will leave your sides hurting from laughing so hard. Featuring the comedic talents of Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, the storyline is riddled with laugh-out-loud moments that give this independent film the distribution deal it deserves.
Working a mundane office job where nobody likes him, Craig (Tim Robinson) is naively awkward and has no friends. Even his wife Tami (Kate Mara) would rather spend time with her ex-boyfriend and his son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) openly disrespects him. Despite this, Craig maintains an oblivious positivity that finally gets rewarded when he meets his neighbor Austin (Paul Rudd).
Austin is a weatherman for the local news station, and he befriends Craig, taking him under his wing and enjoying the constant adulation he receives from his new buddy. The new friendship has Craig feeling like he’s on top of the world until a guy’s night at Austin’s house goes awkwardly wrong. The ensuing split becomes the breaking point for Craig, and he takes drastic measures to try to win Austin back.
“Friendship” is Andrew DeYoung’s feature film debut as both a director and screenwriter, and it is a rip-roaring success. By setting the film in a sleepy suburban town, he allows these quirky characters to blossom. The ordinary surroundings make the character behaviors stand out more, eliciting more humor from their outlandish nature. DeYoung gives this movie an almost throwback type of vibe to older comedies, while still integrating modern ideals. For instance, there are physical humor elements that hearken to the days of old, but the depiction of middle-aged men is apropos to modern culture. This provides a more unique exposure to common themes.
Typically, these types of comedies start strong but finish poorly by abandoning the comedic elements from the first half. However, DeYoung stays true to the film’s strengths, keeping the pace smooth and setting up humorous elements from start to finish without experiencing that usual fade. The rookie director even gets the music right, supplementing the comedy perfectly like the scene during the boy’s night when they break into an acapella rendition of “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJ’s.
Having a well-written screenplay is one thing, but having the right actors to deliver these lines is another, and the pairing of Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd couldn’t be any better for these roles. Robinson, a “Saturday Night Live” alumni, is the primary source of hilarity in this film with his uniquely memorable line delivery and severely awkward nature. Even his physical demeanor coupled with that oversized puffy jacket is exceedingly funny. This is the type of performance that not only puts Robinson on the map, but it may also result in a similar career path to the likes of Will Ferrell.
For veteran actor Paul Rudd, his portrayal of the charismatic cool cat is nothing new, but he’s just so good at it. Sporting a similarly thick mustache that he had in the “Anchorman” movies, Rudd instills his character with that self-confidence that makes him convincingly appealing to the other characters and viewers alike. While he may demonstrate a healthy ego with his parts, he’s very selfless when it comes to working in a team, always supporting his co-stars with wonderful comedic set-ups. If there was a basketball type of statistic for actor assists in a movie, he would be about Steve Nash level.
If laughter is truly the best medicine, then get ready for a double dose. With a sheer lack of comedies in theaters these days, and even fewer quality comedies, this is one of those beautiful diamonds in the rough. Grab a friend and go see “Friendship” for a purely enjoyable foray into hilarity.
This movie earns
