PREMISE
A struggling suburban dad falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor.
THE GOOD STUFF
TIM ROBINSON (THE GOOD STUFF)- I will say this about Robinson. He has his specific style of comedy. Like the Will Ferrells, Adam Sandler’s, and Melissa McCarthy’s of the world, Robinson’s method of sledgehammering punchlines amidst awkward situations is a style unto his own. His character in this film is not unlike the shrill, malignantly narcissistic goofball that he often plays on either of the television shows that he’s been a part of, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Robinson has a weird command over this film that even dwarfs what Paul Rudd is doing. I don’t know if this kind of comedy is my thing, but it’s easy to acknowledge that it is effective, and because of that, I can say that this is an excellent comedic performance from him.
THE UNEASINESS- Because the Tim Robinson style of comedy is built on awkward acknowledgments of ridiculous situations, the film’s core is the build-up to when these situations happen. The awkward music usage, the random cutaways to character reactions, and the gloomy environment of the film all together suggest something much more sinister than what exists, and oddly, I feel that’s a good thing. It’s not like this movie builds a world onto itself, but it is engrossing.
THE BAD STUFF
TIM ROBINSON (THE BAD STUFF)- In the third act, the build-ups to awkward situations flat out stop being comedic and take a dark turn. They’re still there, but a lot more melancholy and creepier in their execution. I’m not saying that FRIENDSHIP isn’t funny at all in the third act, it is. However, there’s so much deeper stuff that it is trying to set up. It is this deeper stuff that requires an actor who is more… dramatically nuanced than Tim Robinson. The comedic stuff is his familiar territory, and the deep stuff is where he falls completely flat, respectively.
THE UGLY STUFF
THE FINAL SEQUENCE- Of course, I won’t get too spoilery here, but it is worth mentioning that the final sequence of this film is pretty ugly and kind of heavy stuff that is forcefully played for laughs. Because of that, it’s a total mess, and given the build-up to the climactic ending sequence to that point, the film ends with a bunch of nonsense.
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Ultimately, if you enjoy Tim Robinson’s television ventures (detroiters, and I think you should leave) then you will indefinitely enjoy this. Friendship plays as a super elongated sketch from the latter-mentioned Netflix sketch comedy show. I may be on an island thinking that this type of humor is an acquired taste, but that just may be me being out of touch.
The crowd that I saw this with was rollicking with laughter consistently. Whether that was because of a nervous response to the kind of situations the film presents or not. I’m trying as hard as possible to understand Tim Robinson’s material. It might take me a little more time.
FRIENDSHIP is in theaters now
