'Friendship' Review

Friendship had its World Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. A24 will release it in theaters at a later date.

Cringe comedy has become a new form that’s slowly been on the rise recently. The situations we see characters get themselves in and how awkwardly they handle them is an odd way to make audiences laugh. Whether it’s watching a guy go on a dating show only for the house’s zipline or seeing someone make obscene comments during a late-night haunted house tour, SNL alum Tim Robinson has found numerous approaches to making us squirm. He’s been behind the rise of this comedic style via his Netflix variety series I Think You Should Leave. His newest film, Friendship, breathes life into his technique and offers substance to his otherwise dry comedy palette.

Making an out-of-place addition to this year’s Midnight Madness lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival, Friendship also boasts of the most irresistible men in Hollywood in Paul Rudd. Robinson and him play neighbors who find themselves in camaraderie and playing mind games with each other in a plot format Robinson knows all too well. When Austin (Rudd) starts ghosting Craig (Robinson) to hang out with his usual friends, Craig goes to great lengths to fix their relationship, even if it involves him getting into inappropriate positions. Some of the incidents we see Austin and Craig get into often involve troubling circumstances (trespassing, assault). Still, it’s not until they start spending time away from each other when things escalate. Rudd and Robinson play off each other well when these events happen in the movie, and their comedic styles blend surprisingly to a tee.

Two factors go into making cringe comedy: the writing and delivery. While this may sound like a no-brainer for a comedy, let alone any movie, it’s vital to this specific style. Some of his line deliveries play a part in it, as some can be dumb, but he manages to make it work. There’s a moment where Craig’s trying to intimidate Austin’s friends and says they shouldn’t mess with him because he recently bought a van. This threat shouldn’t work, yet Robinson makes it, and the response is an uproarous laughter. Rudd helps him out sometimes, mainly just as a setup to a punchline. The best instance is when the two are exploring a sewer and trying to climb over a wall. Rudd clears the wall, but Robinson struggles, and seeing him struggle is where the joke lands. On one occasion, Rudd does make the joke himself, and it’s when he and his friend group start singing My Boo by Ghost Town DJs. It might simply pose as a random needle drop, but if the boot fits, wear it. 

Occasionally in Friendship, there is the zany humor that writer-director Andrew DeYoung’s script samples. Craig has a wife Tami and son Steven played by Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer, respectively. There’s a moment in the opening minutes where the three have an interaction with each other that’s met with many laughs, and the three actors do an excellent job of executing it. Grazer and Robinson have more experience in comedy than Mara, but she still helps out in the moment as the joke catches audiences by surprise. On the contrary, some of the humor outside of the cringeworthy jokes isn’t as outstanding. The movie often showcases moments of Craig experiencing a psychedelic trip and tries to get a laugh out of audiences through those moments. If this movie had came out in the 90s, these choices likely would’ve been seen as genius but unfortunately, do not and drag Friendship down. 

With Friendship, Robinson makes his film debut as a leading man and brings his comedic chops to the forefront. While it translates better on the big screen than as a streaming show, there’s still the looming factor that cringe comedy won’t be for everyone. Regardless, Friendship sees Robinson make a big leap in his career and has an excellent team to work with on it. It might get some viewers to explore more of Robinson and make I Think You Should Leave an even bigger show, but viewers who weren’t too amused by this won’t have their lives changed. As long as viewers are hooting and hollering, it works.