Friendship Review: An Absolute Must-See For Fans Of I Think You Should Leave [SXSW]

If I had to compare "Friendship" to any sketch from Tim Robinson's "I Think You Should Leave," it'd be the one from the season 2 premiere with the haunted house. The tour guide jokingly tells the guests they're allowed to say "whatever the hell" they want, only for Robinson's character to take this as an opportunity to ask about "jizz" and "horse co*ks." We later find out the poor guy just wants to make friends, and he's grasping at whatever strategy he can think of to make a human connection. 

It's tragic stuff, especially since it doesn't seem like he'd be able to hold onto a friend if he found one. If he did manage to trick someone into befriending him, it'd only be a matter of time before he did something wrong, be it by badly misreading a situation or by letting one of his many insecurities get the best of him. That's pretty much what happens in "Friendship." Poor Craig (Tim Robinson) almost gets to be friends with the charming weatherman Austin (Paul Rudd), but the socially awkward Craig can't help but make things difficult. 

The result is a 100-minute spiral into insanity, not unlike Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 psychological thriller "Vertigo." It's funny, sad, surreal, kind of depressing, and also terrifying. Like with "ITYSL," there's a strong chance the film won't click for a lot of viewers — there are moments here so socially uncomfortable I had no choice but to look away — but if you're an "ITYSL" fan who loved sketches such as "Brian's Hat" or "Volcano," or "The Babysitter Excuse," you're gonna have a good time. 

Paul Rudd has the hardest job in this film. He has to play normal enough to have a sympathetic, realistic response to Craig's insane behavior, but he needs to be strange enough to want to hang out with Craig in the first place. Rudd walks the tightrope perfectly. His character may be a healthy and normal guy, but he's got some surprising quirks that make him more than the straight man reacting to the funny man's antics. His light weirdness is what allows Craig to feel free enough to let his own freak flag fly, which leads to the movie's most agonizing sequence about a third of the way through. 

And as heated as things get, there's a subtle understanding between Craig and Austin that does seem special and sweet. Sure, it doesn't justify any of what Craig does in the latter half of the movie, but it's easy to understand why Craig would latch onto this man so hard. Is Paul Rudd not charming? Does his friend group not seem uniquely warm and inviting? For a poor awkward man like Craig, who doesn't seem to have any friends at all, it's clear how the little bit of kindness Rudd shows him would cause such a horrendous chain of events. It's like how inviting Carrie White to prom turned out to be far meaner than doing nothing at all. 

Some say the rule to a good comedy is that the characters can never know they're in a comedy. Sure enough, the story of Craig's quest for male friendship is taken dead seriously by everyone involved. We can always feel his longing for connection, and the humor of the film is a natural extension of that. This is why the biggest standout of the movie is not Paul Rudd as Austin, but Kate Mara as Craig's reasonable wife Tami. She's introduced as a cancer survivor in remission with an inattentive husband, and Mara plays her with all the same sincerity she's brought to her previous dramatic roles. Yes, we have no idea why she would ever marry this man in the first place, but the script and Mara's performance deftly sidestep that question. 

In the Q&A segment afterward for the movie's second SXSW festival screening, director Andrew DeYoung correctly praised Mara for her impact on the movie. "I wanted to steer away from all comedy," DeYoung  said. "Tim's such a comedian, but he's also like Daniel Day-Lewis. His acting is so good. He's incredible, and that's why he hits so hard for people ... So that's why I'm like, for Kate, let's get someone who [is] only known for drama."

Here, Mara offers one of her most likable, complicated, down-to-earth performances of her whole career. (The result is much better than Mara's other big film at SXSW this year.) It's easy to take her for granted because of all the Robinson-induced chaos, but her presence is what helps the movie nail the tone. "Friendship" is funny because it's so serious, and it's painfully awkward because of how fleshed out its supporting cast is. 

"Friendship" is a delightful, vulnerable, agonizing film, and it's a new career height for Tim Robinson. 

/Film rating: 9 out of 10

"Friendship" opens in theaters on May 9, 2025.