By Sophie Albertie
Pointless, indecipherable fun is the new wave.
Tim Robinson’s “Friendship” is a ridiculously meta rollercoaster ride through masculine friendships. Robinson stars as the inept Craig Waterman, a guy who is encouraged by his wife, Tami, played by Kate Mara, to just get out there and make a friend. From there, Waterman meets the charismatic Austin Carmichael, played by Paul Rudd, and the two set off on a series of adventures.
There is one major issue: Waterman can’t hang. Will this bromance survive the waters of social awkwardness, or is his life ruined? In addition, other honorable mentions for his subpar life include a dissatisfied wife and a bored teenage son, each adrift in their own little worlds while Waterman watches from the sidelines.
This is a film that explores social politics with the hilarity of a sketch show, which makes sense given Robinson’s work on SNL and his own sketch show titled “I think you should leave.” Viewers will walk away questioning how relationships can make or break their own lives, but the journey to find the hidden motifs and depth in this film is completely bizarre.
Even so, the whole thing works. Directors like David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman have taught movie goers that the surreality of their work doesnt make the movie bad, if anything it makes films more intriguing. There are scenes in this film that call for laughing out loud from both uneasiness and funny one-liners.
No creative choice is really wasted, despite the repetitive character behavior and dialogue. Every moment is clever and unexpected, which guarantees for an edge-of-seat experience in more ways than one.
If there’s one thing that Robinson knows, it’s how to play up dry humor and wacky interactions in unexpected ways.
This movie is an objective three and a half stars, but it earns perfection in the heart and soul for the comics and sardonics of the world. Please, watch this movie if you’re looking for something steeped in self aware ridiculousness.
