“Men shouldn’t have friends” is the tagline of Andrew DeYoung’s debut film “Friendship.” What is made clear is that men as deranged and unbalanced as Craig Waterman — portrayed by Tim Robinson with the exact nuclear insanity of characters from his sketch comedy hit “I Think You Should Leave” — probably shouldn’t. At least without adult supervision. Unfortunately, that’s hard to find when you’re an adult.
“Friendship” is one of the funniest movies of the decade if Robinson is your cup of tea. Don’t let Paul Rudd’s name on the poster fool you, this is a Robinson vehicle through and through. Most of the runtime is spent following his character Craig through a life that is falling apart around him — one interaction after another ranging from awkward to psychotic.
Craig, a suburban man whose laxadasical nature is draining the respect of his wife and son, takes a package over to his neighbor Austin (Rudd). The two start to form a friendship, unlocking an adventurous and chaotic side of Craig that had long been dormant. But after some strange encounters, Austin calls the friendship off, leading Craig to spiral.
The brilliance of Robinson’s bizarre, rageful, scream-prone characters on his Netflix show is their likeness to a space alien with misplaced feelings trying to relate to the world. This is a sympathetic feeling in a twisted way; we’ve all struggled to meet the world at face value. But transitioning that energy to the big screen is jarring, for better or worse — mileage will vary by the viewer.
With A24 popping up in the opening credits and the beautiful, dynamic photography of Andrew Rydzewski, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think you were in for the comedy equivalent of “elevated horror.” You might get as far as the first signature Robinson freakout before realizing it’s not that type of movie. DeYoung’s commitment to shooting the film like a tense drama adds to the humor — it’s as if Robinson and company snuck into a Paul Thomas Anderson film.
“Friendship” is less concerned with adult male friendship at large, and more about the horror of what a new connection can stir up in someone. Leaving your comfort zone can bring both catharsis and devastation, and for a character played by Robinson, it leads to a hilariously feral implosion.
The wonderful Kate Mara plays Craig’s wife Tami, and is often a deadpan foil to Robinson’s hijinks. She has some odd quirks of her own though, and a hilarious penchant for emotionally cucking Craig at every turn — regularly getting drinks with her ex and kissing her son on the lips, one of the most bizarre moments of the film that happens in the first 10 minutes.
Rudd is playing some version of his character from “Anchorman” Brian Fantana, who got older, moved to the suburbs and got more responsible. He appears to be a free, easy riding spirit at first — luring Craig in with cool ancient rocks and a punk band — but is ultimately revealed to be just another guy doing his best. Seeing Rudd in this arena is welcome after he’s spent the better part of a decade in the franchise machine.
There is the potential for real horror in making new friends. But fortunately, with “Friendship,” we can just laugh about it. At least for a few hours.
Watching the Credits 