Friendship Review: Tim Robinson Excels in Cringe-Inducing Hilarity in This Comedy

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our coverage for the 2024 TIFF. Friendship will be released in theaters on May 9.

      The enjoyment that audiences derive from Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship depends significantly on their appreciation for Tim Robinson's brand of humor. The star of the meme-generating Netflix series I Think You Should Leave has gained a loyal fanbase by crafting moments of embarrassment and characters that oscillate between absurd rage and utter self-deception. (Consider the infamous “we’re all trying to find the guy who did this” meme.) Personally, I believe I Think You Should Leave is the most comedic show of the past decade. While Robinson’s feature film does not quite reach the highs of his series, it remains a side-splitting, dark comedy.

      That film is Friendship, which aligns perfectly with the expectations of Robinson's fans. Much like Tim Heidecker's The Comedy or Larry David’s underappreciated Sour Grapes, Friendship showcases a performer leaning into discomfort and frustration for nearly 90 minutes. One could term it cringe cinema. (Cringe-verité?) Essentially, Friendship takes a sketch from I Think You Should Leave and expands it into a movie, and if that premise intrigues you, you are likely to leave feeling fulfilled.

      Viewers might be surprised to discover that Friendship was both written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, who has previously overseen several series with similar tones (such as Pen15, High Fidelity, and Our Flag Means Death). He was ideally suited to direct Friendship, imparting a cold, often desaturated visual style that mirrors the perpetually unsettled mental state of Robinson’s Craig Waterman.

      Craig leads a slow, rather mundane life with his cancer-survivor wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and their teenage son. Employed at an app company, he has a tendency to misplace phones, while also longing for someone like Austin Carmichael to enter his orbit. Austin, played by Paul Rudd, is the new neighbor who embodies Craig's ideal of masculinity. He’s a television weatherman, performs in a band, explores urban environments effortlessly, and—most importantly—has a strong circle of friends.

      Navigating adult male friendship can be complicated, particularly for married men with children. The desire for companionship outside the home is rich with comedic potential, and Friendship skillfully examines the lengths to which this yearning can lead. Craig exemplifies the classic Robinson character—someone eager to be liked but oblivious to the embarrassment, chaos, and destruction he leaves in his wake. Austin soon perceives that there’s something amiss with Craig and decides to distance himself from the friendship. However, Craig has already acquired a drum set for their jamming sessions and is imitating various aspects of Austin's lifestyle, including mushroom foraging and exploring the underbelly of the city. This behavior only exacerbates the issues in his fragile marriage and at work.

      As Friendship unfolds, nearly every action taken by Craig turns out to be misguided. It’s quite impressive to portray a character who remains blissfully unaware like Craig, even if some misfortunes in his life are not entirely his doing. The film cleverly sidesteps the typical route to a happy conclusion, at least from the audience's perspective, and its closing shot suggests that Craig believes he has re-entered the elusive and enigmatic realm of adult friendship. Whether he truly has achieved this is another matter altogether.

      It’s important to note that Friendship ultimately may not add up to much. There’s a complete lack of character development, no resolution, and minimal sense of closure. Yet, this is likely intentional. It results in a sometimes challenging viewing experience, but it fits this material well. The film also includes one of the most inventive and unexpected drug hallucination scenes in cinematic history—no exaggeration, I promise—featuring a cell-phone store employee, a toad, and Subway (yes, the sandwich chain). It stands out as the most hilarious moment in a film that is consistently funny, even if it may not leave the lasting impact of I Think You Should Leave. Here’s hoping Robinson remains true to his discomfort-driven style in both his series and this film. If anyone is the master of cringe, it must be Tim Robinson.

      Friendship had its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.