FRIENDSHIP - Mark Reviews Movies

Friendship, A24

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Review by Mark Dujsik | May 22, 2025

It can be tough enough to make new friends after a certain age, but now, imagine the guy trying to make those friends is a perennially awkward and self-absorbed man with no sense of self-awareness. That's the basic conceit of Friendship, which is equally discomforting and funny, because it knows exactly what's wrong with its main character and lets us laugh at how he cannot stop messing things up for himself.

The character, by the way, is played by Tim Robinson. The actor has pretty much perfected the aforementioned comedic persona—the embarrassingly inept and frustratingly stubborn guy who worries about being seen as different but won't do a thing about it—throughout his quietly successful career. The most notable example is his sketch comedy show, which can be absorbed pretty quickly—and probably, given how uncomfortable some of the sketches are, should only be experienced in those short bursts.

Those who know Robinson's humor know exactly what to be expect here, and one wonders how closely writer/director Andrew DeYoung worked with the actor, how much he was inspired by Robinson's material, or how he had to adapt his story to match his star's very specific brand of comedic energy. Some of this surely stumbles, because the film often feels as if it's trying to pull off one kind of trick, as a mundane scenario about the break-up of a fast friendship transforming into something of a thriller, even as Robinson's schtick steers both the focus and tone of the whole affair.

Because the scenario and the actor are both funny, though, the film still succeeds as a comedy. It just frequently feels as if there are competing aims in mind as its story unfolds.

That story is pretty simple. Robinson plays Craig, a man who's almost too comfortable in his existence. He's married to Tami (Kate Mara), a cancer survivor who started a floral business after treatment and has found a new lease on life, and the opening scene at a support group gives us a sense of how much Tami has changed from her experiences. More to the point, however, it offers up a clear notion of how stuck Craig is and how he has a habit of turning everything—including some very personal details his wife shares—into something about him.

His soon-to-be friend is a new neighbor named Austin (Paul Rudd), a weatherman for the local TV news, whom Craig meets and instantly finds appealing after a package for Austin is mistakenly delivered to his house. Later, Tami mentions that the new neighbor called and invited Craig over for drinks at his place, and after his wife and son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) turn down his assorted efforts to make other plans, Craig goes to Austin's house. They drink, talk about life, share in the awe of the prehistoric ax Austin bought, and go on a little adventure through an old sewer system. With that, Craig is hooked, because Austin is a cool guy and, maybe more to the point, thinks Craig is funny (usually when he's not trying to be, which he doesn't notice), smart about certain things, and worthy of a regular hangout.

At first, this relationship is the core of the story, especially after Austin bluntly tells Craig that he doesn't want their friendship to proceed any further. The guy has a very good reason for that, by the way. In fact, Austin has several after inviting Craig over to hang out with more of his friends and the ensuing property damage, physical assault, and general strangeness of Craig's behavior.

From there, DeYoung's screenplay does somewhat come at odds with itself. Part of becomes about Craig's continuing obsession with maintaining his connection to Austin, from showing up the neighbor's work for no reason, to keeping tabs on what he's up to, and to sneaking into his house (through the convenient opening he previously broke when he was an invited guest) to go through his former friend's stuff. Such moments put us in a certain mindset, no matter how incompetent Craig may be, especially when the guy finds something in a drawer. The rules of drama inform us that the thing will surely be used in some way by the third act.

As this pseudo-thriller plot proceeds, DeYoung also has something more grounded in mind. That's to study Craig in some way, from how the guy tries to make other friends (failing, of course, quite spectacularly by trying to copy Austin's get-togethers but acting like a petty dictator of conversation), to a very funny drug trip that plays with how boring the guy is on even a subconscious level, and to what should be a matter of much, if not complete, concern when a loved one goes missing. None of this really changes a thing about Craig, his actions, his outlook on himself and others, or how he tries to be the center of attention in everything.

As a story, then, Friendship gradually becomes a string of gags and scenes that sometimes feel isolated from each other and uninterested in forming much of a sturdy narrative. On the other hand, the film does find something of a deeper frankness about Craig when it's not trying to force its main character into a plot, no matter how subversive it may be. It's unsure of itself, basically, but once we get to know Craig and his personality in even the slightest ways, can we really blame the film for not being certain how to handle the guy? Either way, the result is uncomfortably funny and unnervingly honest.

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