FRIENDSHIP : Tuesday 22nd July 2025

I saw the M Rated 'FRIENDSHIP' earlier this week, and this American black comedy film is Written and Directed by Andrew DeYoung in his feature film making debut, although he has a whole stack of Directorial credits for short films and multiple episodes of TV series including '555', 'Dave', 'Shrill', 'PEN15', 'Our Flag Means Death' and 'The Decameron'. This film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year as part of the festival's Midnight Madness section, and was released in the US in late May. It has received positive reviews from critics, and has so far grossed US$17M.

Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson) is a socially awkward marketing executive working in the fictional city of Clovis, and he and his wife Tami (Kate Mara) are preparing to sell their family home. Having recovered from cancer about a year ago now, Tami is becoming increasingly frustrated with Craig’s emotional disconnection and his lack of interest in her growing flower business, so much so that she has rekindled a relationship with her ex-boyfriend Devon (John Segarra). 

A new neighbour - Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd) has just moved in down the street. He is a weatherman on the evening news, and he drops off a gift to Tami to introduce himself. Austin invites Craig over for a beer that evening and Tami accepts on his behalf. Craig agrees, albeit reluctantly.

The pair quickly strike up an unlikely friendship, bonding over '70's and '80's music, work frustrations, and a shared sense of being unfulfilled. During their first hangout, Craig introduces Austin to his personal mantra 'just ask' which worked for him in a work situation recently. This philosophy inspires Austin to pursue his longtime dream of becoming the town’s daytime weatherman - a gig he would much prefer to working nights. Later that evening Austin takes Craig on an adventure through a hidden tunnel system beneath Clovis City Hall, and they explore it together, having a beer and a cigarette atop the City Hall building overlooking all of Clovis. 

The next day, Austin calls Craig at work and convinces him to take the rest of the day off to go mushroom hunting in a nearby bog. Craig sinks knee deep into the boggy marsh and loses his mobile phone in the process. On their way back, they pass a yellow sports car at a dealership and Austin says that if he ever buys one, Craig will be the first to ride in it. As their bond goes from strength to strength, Craig becomes increasingly enamored with Austin, and even more so after Craig and Tami attend one of Austin's punk rock shows in which he is lead guitarist and singer. Energised by the connection, Craig becomes a more mindful husband, father, and coworker.

Cracks in their relationship however, begin to appear after Austin invites Craig to a hangout with a group of his friends. Initially cordial and relaxed, the evening takes a rapid and unexpected u-turn when Craig,  escalates a friendly boxing match with Austin by landing a cheap shot which sees Austin knocked to the ground. The group recoils at this, and Craig reacts by stuffing a bar of soap in his mouth as a bizarre act of self-punishment, while attempting to apologise and make light of the situation. 

Following this incident, Austin distances himself. Craig, desperate to reconnect, visits the TV station unannounced and causes Austin to fumble his words during his first daytime weather broadcast, for which he is admonished by the news anchor. Austin formally cuts ties with Craig, who later breaks into Austin’s home while he is out and his wife Bianca (Meredith Garretson) naps, and inadvertently steals a handgun from Austin's home office.

In a vain attempt to recreate the connection he had with Austin, Craig takes Tami, reluctantly, on a manic date through the underground tunnels beneath City Hall. Tami becomes disoriented and goes missing. The Police get involved in the search, resulting in both Craig and Austin being arrested for trespassing in the tunnels previously. In jail, it is revealed Austin wears a hairpiece, a secret he begs Craig to keep. Tami is eventually found about 24 hours later, shaken but safe. 

At her welcome-back party, Craig is shunned by Tami's friends and family and upstaged by Devon in a welcome home speech. Craig invites everyone to join him in a parade for Tami, but he end up standing alone outside his house very dejected. Tami later moves into Devon’s pool house. Craig’s downward spiral goes from bad to worse - he loses a very important client pitch and suffers a public meltdown at work, resulting in his immediate termination from the marketing firm.

Some time later, Craig attempts to rebuild his life. He reconnects with his son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) and buys Tami a brand new customised van to support her flower business. The family is seemingly on the mend, until Craig drives past Austin’s house and sees him hosting another guys’ night and with the yellow sports car parked outside his house. Overcome with jealousy, Craig storms the gathering, holds the group at gunpoint with the gun he stole from Austin previously, and forcibly attempts to recreate the first night they all met. When Austin attempts to wrangle the gun out of Craig’s hands, it goes off, causing everyone to panic and duck for cover. In the struggle, Austin’s hairpiece again comes off. Craig, desperate to retain this shared secret, threatens his friends to stay on the ground while Austin puts his hairpiece back on. The Police arrive unexpectedly and Craig knocks himself unconscious while attempting to flee the scene by walking headlong through a plate glass door. In the back of the patrol car, Craig imagines an alternate version of events in which nothing went awry during that initial group hangout, and everything turned out like sunshine and rainbows. Craig watches from the back of the patrol car as Austin turns and gives him a wink, and Craig lets out a beaming smile.

A comedy no matter how intentionally black or bleak it's meant to be, needs to be pretty special for me to buy into it, and as such 'Friendship' really missed that boat! Whilst Tim Robinson may have the comedic chops to carry off his TV shows 'Detroiters' and 'I Think You Should Leave' this cringe worthy, anxiety inducing, and uncomfortably absurd film feels more like an over extended version of his TV series that has long since worn out its welcome. Paul Rudd, Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer largely play it straight leaving Robinson to do the heavy comedy lifting which after the first twenty or so minutes I was largely over already. The critics conversely are waxing lyrical about this film, but I just left the cinema feeling ho-hum about the whole experience. 

'Friendship' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-