Friendship - A Review

I think, at best, that horror is a nebulous term. A visceral reaction to something unexpected, or unpleasant. I think that it’s possible for a movie to cause us to cringe so violently that the embarrassment we’re feeling for the protagonist of a movie can only be described as just that. Horror. Which brings me to the new A24 black comedy, starring and probably written by comedian Tim Robinson, Friendship. Directed by Andrew DeYoung, who, according to the internet, also wrote the movie, this movie’s style of comedy is so close to Robinson’s Netflix skit-comedy series, I Think You Should Leave, that either he’s involved in that series as well, or Tim Robinson is just an uncredited writer on his own movie. Not that it really matters, except that this movie was described to me as season 4 of I Think You Should Leave, a show I love to watch and cackle at when there’s nothing else of interest. Perhaps that is why this movie left me with my jaw on the ground, utterly horrified by how truly dark it was at its core, from its first scene, right down to its final frame.

Friendship is sold as a wacky comedy in the style of I Love You Man (2009), and even stars Paul Rudd, who, incidentally was the star of that ‘classic’ film. “Men Shouldn’t Have Friends”, the poster cheekily declares, under a picture of Tim Robinson smiling demurely at a taciturn Rudd. And maybe for some people, this movie will deliver on that tone, but from where this reviewer is sitting, this movie is much closer to the 2012 feel-bad movie, The Comedy, starring Tim and Eric (yes, that Tim and Eric). If you’re not familiar with I Think You Should Leave, the premise of each skit is very simple. A mundane situation is established, such as a boring work meeting, an Alcoholics Anonymous session, or a game show. Everything will seem normal, until one of the characters, usually played by Tim Robinson, begins acting erratically, demonstrating that they have no idea how human interaction works. I won’t spoil any of the brilliant bits in that show. Just go watch it. Instead, I’ll tell you that this premise is the groundwork for Robinson’s new film, Friendship.

Craig Waterman (Robinson) is a marketing executive, which, incidentally, is also what Robinson’s character in his other show, Detroiters, does. Married to wife Tami (Kate Mara), we’re introduced to them at a support group, where Tami emotionally tells the group about her dread of her cancer returning, and how she’s never felt an orgasm.

“It’s not coming back,” Craig says in a silly voice, before telling the group how his life is great, and how he always orgasms. This scene is hysterical, and dissolves into a domestic sequence, where Tami reveals that she is talking to an ex-boyfriend, Devon, and urges Craig to go to the new neighbor, Ausitn, and have a drink with him. The horrible consequences of Craig’s possible, untreated autism don’t become apparent until later in the movie; he has a weirdly life-changing experience at Austin’s (Paul Rudd) house. Austin shows Craig a neolithic handaxe he ordered, blowing his mind as he tells him how old it is, and how far it traveled to get to him. They then go on an impromptu adventure through the sewers, which lead them to city hall, late at night, and then our strange, new friendship is born. Craig leaves his boring, unfulfilling job whenever Austin calls him, and is overjoyed when he’s invited to Austin’s guy’s night. He’s blissfully unaware of his wife’s dissatisfaction with him as his new friendship blossoms.

The guys drink, sing, and act normally, all as Craig basks in the hue of their friendship. It seems like fun, and perhaps nothing untoward will happen, until Austin breaks out the boxing equipment. When Craig punches Austin way too hard in the face, the vibe shifts violently. Austin’s other friends start to leave, and even Austin wants Craig to leave. Craig’s out-of-place attempts to defuse the situation, such as eating a bar of soap, fall flat. The comedy is more effective than something like an Adam Sandler movie, by the way, as people react to him realistically, rather than siding with him or acting in a similarly goofy manner. That aside, this is largely where the movie takes its aggressive turn. Austin refuses to see him, and Craig breaks into his house, marveling at how his friend lives, and accidentally leaving with a gun he finds when he gets a phone call.

As Craig struggles to rekindle his friendship with Austin, he turns his attention to his collapsing family. Applying the awesome things that Austin showed him backfires, especially when he takes his wife to the sewer, screaming at her when he can’t manage to climb over a wall. Her unhappiness and fear of their location causes her to ditch Craig, disappearing. When she returns several days later, she refuses to talk to Craig, and throws a party for people whom he has never met. Feeling like a stranger in his own home, he wanders off to the only other place he felt at home, Austin’s house, where Austin’s having his friends over again. I’ll leave the rest for the movie to give you.

I’m not going to argue that this is a straight-up intentional horror movie; rather, that the context of Robinson’s style of comedy plays radically differently in a consistent narrative. In his sketch comedy show, his bizarre antics derail any scene he’s in, and then the skit transitions to another, with no-carryover. In a movie with a coherent narrative, Robinson’s actions have consequences, consequences that will make you cringe, and yes, even horrify you. Do I recommend Friendship? Absolutely. It’s unlike any comedy of its type, and delivers a healthy dose of existential dread that will haunt you for weeks to come. Oh, and watch I Think You Should Leave too, while you’re at it. Tim Robinson is a genius.

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Daniel Sokoloff is the Editor in Chief of Death Wish Poetry Magazine, the writer of the Demon Land series, and host of the Demon Toast podcast.