Friendship is a surrealist dramedy about a suburban man Craig(Tim Robinson) who's life falls apart after he is first befriended then rejected by his new neighbor Austin(Paul Rudd).
It's wonderful to see Robinson in the lead of a feature, he brings commitment and energy as he always does but he's not able to manage the the uneven script and direction from first-timer Andrew DeYoung to make this a bonafide homerun. He's funny and some individual scenes and sequences are effective but the movie never really comes together as a whole. Rudd brings his ineffable charm and there are moments of real depth and complexity but the character, as written, is inconsistent and as the story progresses doesn't really make much sense. Kate Mara as Tami Craig's wife is underutilized and misdirected. She's always stunning on screen, she has a unique poise and presence, but she's just not given enough to do. The supporting cast is equally kind of confused and this is a result of DeYoung's mismanagement of tone.
Shot on location(ish) New York for New Jersey(opposite of Nonnas oddly) it feels and looks real and authentic. The creeping score and the occasional heightened bits of lighting and action are effective. But the whole is not equal to the sum of it's parts. There's an implication that this will be some kind of satire or comment on male loneliness and/or become some Lynchian fever dream but those feints from the screenplay never go anywhere. What were left with is just a stupid and terrible guy, Craig, being stupid and terrible. The surreal moments tease at something more lofty and interesting but never go above a certain volume, never crescendo. It's not bad it's just not great and it so clearly could have been.
Lots of promise, mostly under-realized.
Currently in theaters.
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