Friendship: An Awkward Comedy Misfire (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Writer/director Andrew DeYoung may not be very well-known, but that hasn't stopped him from amassing a rather extensive roster of shows that he's been behind the camera for, including "Our Flag Means Death," "Miracle Workers," "The Decameron," PEN15," and "A.P. Bio." He even earned an Emmy nomination just two years ago for co-writing the comedy special "Would It Kill You to Laugh?" Now he attempts to venture out into the realm of theatrical features with his dark comedy "Friendship," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year before finally arriving in theaters earlier this year. Comedy, as always, is rather divisive, and his debut feature certainly puts that to the test, but could it perhaps be pushing it a little too much?

The film centers on Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson), a marketing exec who tries to get people addicted to apps. He and his wife, Tami (Kate Mara), have started to drift apart, causing her to hang out with her ex more, which has basically left him to look for companionship elsewhere. When dropping off a package at a new neighbor's house, he meets Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd), a local evening weatherman who seems rather friendly and laid-back. Later, when Austin visits Craig's wife to drop off a gift, he invites Craig to have a drink, an invitation that Tami accepts on his behalf.

He reluctantly goes, but unexpectedly ends up striking up a special friendship with Austin that has them bonding and doing all kinds of activities together. All seems to be going well until a bizarre incident occurs one night when he is hanging out with Austin and his friends that leaves their friendship in ruins. However, Craig is unwilling to let go of the special bond that they've formed, causing him to resort to desperate means to get it back.

The premise at the heart of "Friendship," while hardly original, is an intriguing one. We have a man desperate for companionship who basically stumbles upon it in the form of a neighbor, but jeopardizes it and finds himself desperate to set things right. It's the kind of situation that could lead to a number of compelling & amusing events to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and laughing the entire time as Craig tries to get back into Austin's good graces, but sadly this ends up being a goal that's a little too far beyond writer/director Andrew DeYoung's abilities.

To put it bluntly, the main problem here is the level of humor with which DeYoung decides to tell his tale. He sinks to bizarre, awkward situations in an attempt to wring laughs from them, including the cringe-worthy scene in which Craig goes too far in a friendly boxing match and decides to atone by eating soap & apologizing like a child, or another scene in which his wife describes having an orgasm in the sewer system after getting lost during an attempted adventure with her husband. Clearly DeYoung thinks these are hysterical, but in fact they just come off as desperate and crude.

That's not to say that all of the attempts at humor as so low-brow, but even when he tries to aim a little higher, it just doesn't work, with examples including a running gag that has Craig telling everyone not to spoil Marvel movies, and another scene in which Craig seeks out a psychedelic experience by licking a toad, a sequence that has practically nothing to do with anything. Material like this merely leads to more awkwardness as DeYoung once again seems to think that it's funny, when it's really just causing the audience to roll their eyes.

Again, there's nothing wrong with the premise at the core of "Friendship," but in trying to make it a comedy, more specifically one that doesn't elicit any laughs, DeYoung has blunted any effect his tale could have. By the end, one gets the strong feeling that this would've worked much better as a straight-up drama, or, given the direction it goes by the end, perhaps even as a thriller. Attempting to make it a comedy without having the proper comedy chops to do it simply doesn't work, ultimately leaving us with a potential-filled premise, but one that sadly collapses under poor execution.

Video/Audio:

"Friendship" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.66:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, presenting a perfectly sharp & clear image throughout the entirety of its 101-minute runtime. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue and music in outstanding quality. Overall, A24 has done a marvelous job in both departments for the film's physical release.

Special Features:

Commentary with Writer-Director Andrew DeYoung, Director of Photography Andy Rydzewski, and Conner O'Malley

Conner O'Malley Extended Garage Scene (12 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (4 Sequences, 9 Minutes)

"Men Talking in the Dark" Extended Q&A (19 Minutes): A featurette that has writer/director Andrew DeYoung discussing the film with some of the cast.

Conclusion:

Andrew DeYoung's "Friendship" contains an intriguing premise at its core of a man desperate to save the bond he's recently formed with a new neighbor, but sadly it's executed in a rather poor manner, with a level of humor that's low-brow & awkward, and jokes & situations that are more cringe than funny, ultimately making for a comedy misfire that fails to elicit any laughs.

Score: 2.5/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.