In his first time writing and directing a feature, Andrew DeYoung manages to craft the quintessential perfectly unhinged cringe comedy of the 21st century, Friendship. It’s a movie that is so absolutely and unabashedly insane, it causes the audience to suffer from rib pain and stomach cramps from laughing so hard, the real friendships being made with the people who share the journey through this incredibly psychotically good time. Friendship is one of those movies that is generational, managing to flawlessly pull off the madness in such fashion that its undeniable at its core, a movie one truly has to experience for themselves.
Friendship focuses on Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson), your every-day, generic, boring dude. He’s married to his wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and they have a regular boring life. Nothing really exciting; they’re reminiscent of Hank and Peggy Hill, almost. Just regular American folks with no personality or assertion, really, living in the world. This doesn’t really work for Tami though, as she wants something more in life but is content yet annoyed by the mundanity of their life. Everything changes for Craig when Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd) moves in up the road and Craig tries to make a friend. Austin is the cool new neighbor that everyone wants to be friends with, and this is why Craig makes it his mission to become friends with Austin. While Austin, at first, takes a shine to Craig and invites him in, eliciting a bromance for the ages, Craig’s awkward, unbearable self-torches whatever bridge is there and a downward spiral of chaos unfolds.
Without getting into too much information, Craig manages to get some “dirt” on Austin, forces himself back into Austin’s life, and the cringe continues to climb, making the audience horrifically uncomfortable but unable to prevent themselves from laughing. Completely unhinged madness that makes fun of pop culture, drugs, a “popular” sandwich franchise, and everything else in between, Friendship manages to redefine cringe comedy and makes arguably one of the funniest, uncomfortable, disturbing movies of the year that will be either the best or worst thing audiences have ever seen. So prepare yourself.
L-R: Tim Robinson as Craig Waterman and Paul Rudd as Austin Carmichael in FRIENDSHIP. Photo courtesy of TIFF 2024.
Having a movie that stars one of the undisputed kings of cringe right now, Tim Robinson (Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers), is a surefire way to get audiences excited about what is about to unfold on screen, but partnering him with the charismatic and brilliant Paul Rudd (Romeo = Juliet) means a hit is guaranteed. These two comedy kings bring everything to the table and work with DeYoung’s script, managing to generate some of the hardiest laughs in a movie audience in arguably forever. The chemistry between Rudd and Robinson is unparalleled; these two feed off each other unlike anything seen before and create such an uncomfortably hilarious atmosphere that brings the entire movie to something more than anyone could’ve expected. The unspecified sandwich shop scene is, without a doubt, one of the funniest, most deranged things to ever be put on a screen and will go down in history as a gag that cannot ever be out done.
Rounding out the cast is Kate Mara (Shooter), who is so underappreciated in this role but carries her own as level-headed and not over-the-top Tami to balance and juxtapose the sheer chaos that unfolds. Her undeniably brilliantly grounded performance brings a new level of madness to Friendship as it breaks the cringe and tension whenever she’s on screen so that the audience can compose themselves and give their lungs and stomach a break from laughing too hard, though she does earn a great laugh herself.
Overall, Andrew DeYoung has what will certifiably be a cult classic if not a modern classic of comedy for decades to come. He crafts a story that is so unabashedly insane and chaotic that it is a genuine shock it exists, partnering two comedic powerhouses together to create a movie that will bring Friendship to the world in more ways than just the title elicits. Friendship may be cringe comedy, but the furthest thing from cringe is how much endless joy it will produce and how loud the audience will be belly-laughing at the chaos unfolding.
Screened during Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
In select theaters May 9th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Toronto International Film Festival 2024 Friendship webpage.
For additional information, head to the official A24 Friendship webpage.
Final Score: 5 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews
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