Friendship (15)|Close-Up Film Review

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd star in an uneven comedy about an unlikely male friendship.  

Craig (Robinson) is the sort of guy who’s never going to be Mr Popular.  He’s awkward, a bit weird looking and he always misjudges the situation, be it with his work mates, his attractive wife Tami (Kate Mara), who’s recovering from cancer or with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer)  One wonders how he ever managed to persuade her to marry him and produce this handsome  child. 

Craig somehow however manages to capture the interest of his charismatic neighbour Austin (Rudd), who’s a local tv weatherman, plays in a rock band and is the  charming and popular, heart and soul of any group.  A typical Paul Rudd role in fact.  

Amazingly Austin takes Craig to his heart and welcomes him into his chummy male gang.   Austin too is married but his wife hardly gets a look in.   That situation is never gone into.

For the first part of the film, while the friendship is swinging and they’re all having male fun together, the film is pretty funny.  The comic chemistry between Rudd and Robinson works well.  But the plot dictates that they fall apart.  Craig makes gaffe after gaffe at a gathering at Austen’s place in what is the comic set piece of the film.  As a result Austin goes off Craig big time,  meaning Rudd disappears from the tale for quite a long time leaving Robinson to hold the film on his own – and frankly he stops being funny and becomes pathetic and a bit of a bore. 

Robinson, a former Saturday Night Live contributor, has a following in this country from an American comedy series I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson shown on Netflix.   Craig is the sort of character that fellow actor Steve Carel could play– rather better, I  venture to suggest.   But without Rudd’s amiable charm to bounce off, Robinson doesn’t quite cut it.  So it’s a relief when Austen comes back into the story.   Too late for my money however to save the film.

To be fair, Friendship does have some good comic moments but it doesn’t demonstrate much in the way of insight into its characters.   And apart from the two leads, all the other characters just stand on the sidelines and support.