Austin's South by Southwest festival is known for producing some of the most exciting new media out there, and this year was no exception. One of the absolute best entries of the festival this year was Andrew DeYoung's Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd. Distributed by everyone's favorite indie studio, Friendship is a film that caused so much laughter at its premiere yesterday, it nearly shook the walls of the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse.
Friendship is a comedy that has been in production since 2020, finally getting a release at TIFF this past September, becoming second runner-up for the Midnight Madness People's Choice Award. This weekend, Friendship made its way to Austin. The film can best be described as an absurdist, surreal suburban comedy, but trying to accurately categorize it is a real challenge. It's truly unique and there's nothing else like it, not only at SXSW, but in the film world in general. It takes risks, blends a myriad of different styles, and has some of the most insane humor seen from A24 so far.
Friendship follows suburban husband and father, Craig Waterman (Robinson) as his monotonous life is interrupted by the arrival of a new, cool neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Rudd). The film heavily incorporates Tim Robinson's signature style of surreal, uncomfortable, hyper-specific comedy. In a lot of ways the movie feels like a ninety minute episode of Robinson's Netflix series, I Think You Should Leave. Both Rudd and Robinson deliver laugh after laugh it's hard to go even two minutes with a straight face. Friendship is a film that thrives by how little it takes itself seriously and how much it leans into ridiculousness. Craig's insane antisocial behavior had the audience in stitches up until the credits rolled. His on-screen dynamic with Paul Rudd is something to behold, you can tell that they're close friends in real life who have a real love and respect for each other. The juxtaposition of an A-list actor with an irreverent outsider comic doesn't sound like something that would work but both Rudd and Robinson absolutely shine. Other great performances come from Kate Mara as Tammy Waterman and the always chaotic, Connor O'Malley.
At the official premiere Q&A at Austin's South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse, director, Andrew DeYoung said that he took great inspiration from Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which understandably shocked audience members. At first glance, there is nothing Paul Thomas Anderson-esque about Friendship, but DeYoung pointed out various filmmaking techniques to make the film look as serious and professional as possible, serving as a stark contrast to the actual content and humor of the film. Its masterful cinematography and editing can make you forget that you're watching a comedy. It's clear that an obscene amount of thought went into the making of this film. A24 is no stranger to thinking outside the box, and Friendship shows just how much they're willing to experiment to make a great piece of entertainment. It would not surprise me if in ten years time it gained status as an "underrated masterpiece."
Where else can you possibly find a film with Tim Robinson crashing through glass doors, toad licking, acid trips at Subway and Kate Mara getting lost in a sewer? If you're a fan of I Think You Should Leave, you will absolutely adore Friendship! Make sure to catch it in American theaters starting May 9th!