Friendship: Navigating the Line Between Funny and Unsettling

The humour of Tim Robinson has always navigated characters of instability, yet that absurdity possesses a relatability at its core that provides a much needed centering presence. This, however, is dispelled upon the opening minutes of Friendship, easily one of the funniest films of the year so far. The film excels in many of the same ways as Robinson’s sketch comedy, while many of his frequent collaborators come back to contribute in front and behind the camera. Robinson’s first feature film is both funny and unsettling, taking the characters he is beloved for to their surreal and oddly relatable extreme. The result is a dissection of codependency and masculine friendships unlike anything out there, using the buddy comedy formula and turning it into a Lynchian ‘Larry The Cable Guy.’ 

The Waterman family is ready to leave their neighbourhood. The patriarch, Craig Waterman (Robinson), works at a job manufacturing habit forming capabilities for apps and business. He is good at his job and loves his Ocean View dining apparel, but struggles with the social aspects of his life. However, Craig’s life would begin to change as a wrong package delivery prompted a meeting with his neighbour Austin (Rudd), a local weatherman who was new to the neighbourhood and looking to settle in. From there, their relationship further developed as a hangout one night sparked the beginning of the kind of friendship that threatened to upend their lives forever.

Friendship serves as an examination of suburban loneliness that is equal parts funny and sad, as it will have audience taking turns either laughing and wincing at Craig’s many attempts to fit in and be accepted by his peers. The film speaks to a universally relatable anxiety over making new friends, and what those newfound relationships may mean. Writer-director Andrew DeYoung’s direction supports this through some great, and at times voyeuristic camera work, and a sturdy understanding of structure and a pinch of the surreal. Coming from a background in sketch comedy, DeYoung fits in many of those elements far better than expected into the script, blending them seamlessly within the film’s style and structure, keeping it grounded in terms of structure without taking away from the narrative.

In his first feature lead role, Robinson is excellent, bringing an empathetic vulnerability to Craig, only to scream all over it and forcing audiences to take an introspective look at themselves. Taking him to the extreme, Robinson arguably delivers his best performance to date, making use of every second he is on screen. Meanwhile, Rudd and Kate Mara contribute with excellent supporting performances, both serving as hilarious counterparts to the absurdity of Robinson. As Austin, Rudd is his most involved in years, delivering a performance to be remembered. Hilarious and understated, the Rudd everyone loves is back. Additionally, Mara’s performance is incredibly empathetic as Craig’s wife Tami, a woman forced to deal with another ludicrous situation after having recovered from a personal battle with cancer. As a whole, everyone involved both in front of, and behind the camera, contribute to Friendship being as good as it is.

While much of the focus has revolved around Robinson in his feature lead role, Friendship also marks an impressive feature directorial debut for Andrew DeYoung, and the fantastic contributions of the cast and crew are also worth commending. Rarely has a film walked the line between awkward and unsettling relatability and be this hilarious, but the film achieves exactly that. A film that will have audiences going from wincing in one scene, to laughing the next, Friendship is a truly remarkable achievement that deserves to be watched in theatres, dressed the finest Ocean View dining attire.

Score: 95/100

still courtesy of VVS Films

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Brad Simon

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