Starring: Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara
Directed by: Andrew DeYoung
Written by: Andrew DeYoung
In recent years, perhaps no comedic actor has had more of a rise to prominence than Tim Robinson. Formerly an SNL cast-member turned writer, Robinson broke into the consciousness with his Netflix sketch show “I Think You Should Leave.” Now three seasons in, Robinson’s absurdist tinged comedy is weird, loud, and above all else, incredibly funny. With sketches, quotes and memes in the zeitgeist, Robinson’s surge has been capitalized on with “Friendship,” a film that pairs him with Paul Rudd for an unlikely connection.
Let us begin with a word of assurance: if you are a fan of Robinson’s comedy and worried about a watered down version of his sense of humor, fear not…”Friendship” almost 100% captures the essence of “I Think You Should Leave.” So much so, in fact, that it’s a little hard to believe that Robinson and co-creators Zach Kanin’s names are not given writing credits on the film.
The premise is simple: a suburban man named Craig (Robinson) finds himself fascinated when a new, cool neighbor Austin (Rudd) moves in and takes interest in him. Desperate to connect, Craig goes to great lengths to try to make the friendship work. Craig is a classic Robinson character, inhabiting the very “ITYSL” quality of a character who incredulously cannot believe everyone is acting the way they are, even though he is absolutely the one in the wrong. During a hangout session with Austin and his friends, Craig takes things a bit too far, making everyone a little uncomfortable. From there, Craig spends the rest of the film doubling, tripling and quadrupling down, leading to some delightfully squirmy interactions.
What follows is a narrative that feels like “The Banshees of Inisherin” through the lens of “I Think You Should Leave.” Whatever happens, Craig cannot accept the potential loss of this friendship and digs himself in a deeper and deeper hole as he tries to gain it back. He also has zero sense of self awareness, making the journey that much more spectacularly uncomfortable.
The humor of “Friendship” is absurd and at times, extremely bizarre, which leads to countless laugh out loud moments of both dialogue and ridiculous situations. There are dozens of immensely quotable lines, instances of Robinson losing his mind, incredible non-sequiturs and a drug trip scene for the ages.
The film itself leans so unabashedly into the style of Robinson’s humor, in fact, that it is extremely difficult to imagine anyone who doesn’t find Robinson funny enjoying “Friendship.” If you are a fan of his work on any level, however, run to see this film in theaters. It’s not just incredibly funny, but it is also very weird and subversive, worthy of the badge of A24 that it wears. It is a pure distillation of Tim Robinson, solidifying him as one of the best comedic performers of this era, and is pound for pound, the funniest film of the year so far.