Friendship break-ups are brutal. No matter how long you’ve been friends, if you’re on the receiving end, it can feel like a rebuke of your entire personhood. For Craig Waterman, it’s especially tough. He’s not necessarily a guy who has a lot of friends thanks to his abrasive personality and general weird vibe.
When he meets neighbor Austin Carmichael, though, a real bromance begins. Or so Craig thinks. Friendship is not exactly about its namesake but rather what happens when one between two really weird guys falls apart. Anyone familiar with Tim Robinson’s work, including his brilliant Netflix sketch series I Think You Should Leave, knows exactly what they’re in for from the very first scene of writer-director Andrew DeYoung’s debut feature.
Friendship is the cringe comedy to end all cringe comedies, walking the tonal тιԍнтrope of sincere emotion and abrasive humor for its entire runtime. DeYoung also shoots much of it like a horror film with cinematographer Andy Rydzewski, giving the film a sinister feel that only underscores the escalating chaos.
Tim Robinson & Paul Rudd Give Deliriously Committed Performances In Friendship
The Film Wouldn’t Work Without Them & DeYoung’s Biting Script
Craig’s newfound friend is played by Paul Rudd, in what is essentially an inverse of the dynamic in Rudd’s I Love You Man. That Rudd has gone from the role Robinson now embodies to the seemingly untouchable, cool-guy neighbor speaks to his star power, which is played to great effect here. Austin is something of a local celebrity as one of the news station’s meteorologists.
Craig is in absolute awe of this, tuning into every one of Austin’s segments after they meet, laughing at his stupid jokes and basking in the glow of his new friend’s charisma. That doesn’t last very long, though, as Austin quickly drops Craig after one weird night that involves boxing, soap-eating, and a cappella singing. It doesn’t help that Craig also feels isolated in his own family.
His wife Tami (Kate Mara) is constantly hanging out with her firefighter ex-boyfriend and kissing their teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) on the lips, something even Craig finds off-putting. But when his friendship with Austin ends, Craig tries to connect with Tami and Steven and, of course, nothing good comes of it.
Though Friendship is meant to be funny (and it is), there’s a mounting sense of dread to counter that. Robinson’s humor often feels coiled very тιԍнт, the punchline coming with an explosion of catharsis, whether that be relief that it’s finally over or elation at the eventual outcome. Here, that тιԍнтness is taken to an extreme, drawn out over the film’s runtime.
Yet, in spite of this apathy, there is an emotional core to Friendship, one that made me root for Craig despite all of his shortcomings and unpleasantness.
Though there are sequences that have their own rhythm, the overarching story of Craig and Austin’s relationship explodes in a climactic scene that brings all the film’s threads together. DeYoung’s script is smart in that it never tells you how to feel about Craig; it takes a rather apathetic position when it comes to its protagonist, forcing us to reflect on our own notions of what it means to give and receive friendship.
Yet, despite this apathy, there is an emotional core to Friendship, one that made me root for Craig despite all of his shortcomings and unpleasantness. It’s clear he just needs a buddy, someone who will ground his more absurd habits. When he gets a taste of that before it is ripped away from him, you almost can’t help but understand why he would be driven to the edge. Nothing Craig does is justifiable, but in a strange way, you feel for him and that’s Friendship‘s biggest twist of all.
Friendship screened at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. A24 will release the film in theaters on May 9.
