Rating: R | Runtime: 100 minutes
Release Date: May 9th, 2025 (USA)
Studio: A24
Director(s): Andrew DeYoung
Writer(s): Andrew DeYoung

Stay curious.

There’s a difference between being awkward and never having been socialized as a child. Craig Waterman is the latter. It therefore makes sense why he has no friends. He shouldn’t have friends.

This was my first experience with Tim Robinson and I did laugh enough to think his sketch comedy schtick might work for me. As a feature film, though? When every other character is more interesting, but Andrew DeYoung stays on him from start to finish instead? Boy, that’s a huge ask.

It’s one where I think the happy ending would have been better simply because it would humanize Craig enough to make any of it make sense. He’d just be another white dude who desperately needs therapy. And Friendship would become an actual movie.

That’s not to say the ending doesn’t still work. It simply reminded me that this was never about characterization. It was only about pushing the envelope. The filmmakers are playing with dolls to see how far they’ll allow themselves to go. Fun, but hollow. Because it does hit on societal truths that demand our attention. It just never quite figures out how to say anything about them.

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(L-R) Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in FRIENDSHIP; courtesy of A24.