SXSW: ‘Friendship’ Draws Endless Awkward Laughs

Friendship is a provocative title for a movie. Fittingly, writer/director Andrew DeYoung’s feature debut casts one of the most provocative comic actors of the current era, Tim Robinson. Fans of Robinson praise the comedian’s work on the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave for its uncomfortable, bordering on cringe, comic stylings. That same aspect has left just as many viewers befuddled.

No doubt about it, Friendship exports Tim Robinson’s sensibilities to the big screen in their totality. That means Friendship is bizarre and unsettling, and, for the right audience, it is one of the funniest movies to come out in quite some time. Beyond offering a feature representation of Robinson’s brand of comedy, DeYoung’s film provides a cutting insight into the difficulty of making friends as an adult.

Craig Waterman (Robinson) acts complacent in a life where he’s little more than a sheepish passenger. His cancer survivor wife Tami (Kate Mara) is unfulfilled. His son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) is too busy dating and playing video games with his friends to connect with him. Yet, Craig keeps his same goofy smile, hilariously reiterating his excitement for the “new Marvel” coming out and pretending nothing’s wrong. That all changes when Craig meets his neighbor/local weatherman Austin (Paul Rudd).

Friendship shows the ups and downs of making new friends.

The two strike up a friendship that makes Craig feel more free than ever. Once an attempt to introduce Craig to Austin’s friends goes wrong, Austin breaks off their burgeoning bromance. Devastated, Craig’s life begins to fall apart as he tries to reclaim what he lost or, at the very least, get his revenge.

Narratives about obsession aren’t anything new. Classic erotic thriller Fatal Attraction or another dark comedy, Severance filmmaker/actor Ben Stiller‘s The Cable Guy, come to mind. What those films didn’t have is Tim Robinson. Robinson as Craig is a profoundly disconcerting presence. Every line he says feels like an alien trying to be a human, in a significant way. His overdone facial expressions, complete lack of social cues, and alternative mix of seeming malice and cluelessness make him unpredictable in any situation he enters. When you have someone as charming as Paul Rudd, who is magnetically cool in his role of Austin, cut Craig off, it sells the character going off the rails.

My sides ached from laughing so hard at Friendship. The lion’s share of that comes from Robinson, whose every line read, face, or even posture can elicit at the very least a nervous chuckle. Credit must be given to the work of filmmaker Andrew DeYoung as well. Aesthetically, Friendship plays like a parody of the perception of what an A24 movie is. Shot in a gritty fashion by cinematographer Andy Rydzewski that recalls an indie drama more than a comedy, the heavily synth-based score by Keegan DeWitt helps sell this as the type of film that could easily be mistaken for the likes of Saltburn.

At no point does Friendship go the expected route.

It’s the clash of this well-defined aesthetic with the character of Craig, as well as a willingness to get real weird, that adds extra laughs. There are some bizarre detours, such as an impromptu singalong in Austin’s garage, a psychedelic drug trip, a venture into the sewers, or even a gut-busting cameo from internet comedian Conner O’Malley as a paranoid military vet. Somehow, underneath all this ridiculousness, Andrew DeYoung elevates his film beyond an exercise in being silly.

Craig is not the most straightforward character to love, but somehow, DeYoung makes us empathize with him. Making friends as an adult is difficult. Moreover, finding meaning in one’s life as an adult can feel impossible. His loneliness is relatable as Craig tries to hang onto some sort of connection.

For as much as a strange guy as he is, Craig has never been made into a truly evil character. He’s just a guy who wants to be loved. In the third act, DeYoung ever-so-slightly pulls the curtain back on his lead as a well-meaning individual whose bone-headed way of going about things sabotages himself. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but by the point Craig shows some self-awareness or gains even the most minor win, I damn near teared up.

Friendship is excellent. Few comedies are this well-conceived, strange, or ambitious. Riding a tour-de-force performance from Tim Robinson, Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship is a powerhouse of dark comedy that will have as many audiences too uncomfortable to continue as it will have fans years from now rewatching every scene obsessively. No doubt about it, Friendship has cult comedy written all over it.

Friendship had its U.S. premiere at the SXSW 2025 Film Festival on March 9. It will be released on May 9, 2025, in theaters everywhere.