Friendship Review: Tim Robinson Meets The Male Loneliness Epidemic

After building up a devoted fanbase with "Detroiters" and "I Think You Should Leave" (arguably one of the best comedy TV shows), Tim Robinson's finally getting a crack at the big screen. "Friendship" is cringe comedy at its best, as Robinson's character goes further and further down the rabbit hole in trying to be friends with his cool new neighbor. But although its absurdist sense of humor is the main calling card of "Friendship," it also speaks to the inherent complexities of relationships between men who are not really socialized to emotionally connect with one another on a deeper level. With Robinson doing his thing and Paul Rudd's straight man delightfully off-kilter in his own way, "Friendship" is a chaotic ride from start to finish.

Craig Waterman (Robinson) has a life that's comfortable enough, if not particularly exciting. He works a job in marketing, and comes home to his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) and wife Tami (Kate Mara), who's semi-openly stepping out on him with her ex-boyfriend. What Craig really needs is a friend to confide in, to work through all the things in his life that he struggles to give voice to. Enter Austin Carmichael (Rudd), a new neighbor who glows with extroversion. A local meteorologist, Austin's status as a community celebrity and his ability to make everyone he meets feel like they've been buddies forever draws Craig in like a moth to the flame. They have a few dude hangs, and Craig is in heaven. Is this what it's like to have a male friend?

But just as quickly (and to be fair, after a few social missteps from Craig), Austin detaches himself from the budding friendship. Utterly bereft, Craig becomes convinced that he can heal the breach that has developed between them — by whatever means necessary.

Although there's plenty of laughs throughout the film, its most interesting aspect is how it approaches the entire concept of male friendship. There are so few models in real life and even in media of what it's actually supposed to look like. Craig is completely in the weeds — he's so thrilled to have made a connection with another guy that he, predictably, goes way too far and scares him off. He doesn't know what the rules are, so he can't tell when he's crossed a line. This central idea about men not knowing how to relate to one another on an emotional level is taken to absurdly comedic extremes.

What also makes "Friendship" a lot of fun is that while Tim Robinson is obviously completely over the top in his performance, everyone else in the film matches his energy. It's not like there's one unhinged character surrounded by complete normies — everyone's a little bit off in "Friendship." Austin and his group of guy friends have their own quirks; Tami and Steven sometimes kiss on the mouth. No one in this film is normal. And that commitment to weirdness is what keeps Craig grounded in his surreal version of life.

That said, "Friendship" does suffer from some third act woes. In movies like this, they often inevitably hit a point where the chaos becomes all-consuming and it loses all contact with reality. Craig goes so hard that eventually, it becomes almost impossible to reel it back in for a satisfying conclusion. Since Robinson's style is so surreal, "Friendship" bears this better than most other cringe comedies, but it still loses some momentum in the final act.

Still, "Friendship" is a lot of fun, and it proves that what works for Tim Robinson in short sketches is largely transferable to the big screen. Robinson and Paul Rudd work well together, and "Friendship" weaponizes Rudd's natural charisma so thoroughly that we can completely understand why Craig would become so infatuated with Austin, and how gutting it is when Austin kindly suggests that they take a little break from one another. It sends you right back to middle school, when you just can't figure out why the person who you seemed to vibe with doesn't want to be your friend anymore. Is this a madcap spiritual successor to "The Banshees of Inisherin?" Perhaps. 

Even if it doesn't perfectly stick the landing, "Friendship" is a more-than-worthy subversion of the buddy comedy. And ultimately, your enjoyment of it will largely depend on how on-board you are with Robinson's schtick. Are you known for referencing the adult ghost tour where you can say whatever the hell you want, or other classic "I Think You Should Leave" bits? If so, you'll probably like this too. If not, well ... you should still give it a chance — broad comedies that get theatrical releases aren't exactly growing on trees these days, so we should all embrace the rare few that make it to our local cineplex.

"Friendship" hits theaters on May 16.