- Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara
- July 18th 2025
- 101
- Andrew DeYoung
Craig’s life begins to fall apart when his charming neighbour Austin cuts off their friendship.
Fans of Tim Robinson’s sketch show, I Think You Should Leave, will know what they’re getting themselves into with Friendship, his first leading movie role.
However, if you’re not familiar with his work, it may take a minute to get on his wavelength and embrace his style of cringe comedy.
In Friendship, Robinson plays a marketing executive named Craig, who has no friends and spends his evenings in front of the TV.
When his new neighbour, Austin (Paul Rudd), invites him over to hang out, Craig becomes obsessed with the charismatic weatherman and basically falls in platonic love with him.
They hang out together constantly for a brief spell before Austin ends the friendship after Craig does something too weird. Craig cannot accept this, and his life begins to unravel.
How you respond to Friendship will really depend on your sensibilities and sense of humour. Its style is specific and won’t work for everyone.
Some people will howl with laughter at everything, others will find some parts funny and other moments too sad or stressful, and there will be a bunch of people who won’t find it remotely hilarious.
One thing is for sure: It is deeply uncomfortable watching the socially awkward Craig trying to hang out with a group of men when it doesn’t come naturally to him.
He tries too hard to be one of the guys, but he ends up freaking them out with his oddball behaviour.
While Robinson’s comedy won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, you have to respect his commitment to making viewers cringe from second-hand embarrassment. He throws himself into the role, and you never know what Craig will do or say next.
Rudd’s performance is relatively understated compared to Robinson’s, but he’s very likeable and charming, and he gets some fun physical comedy moments towards the end.
Robinson’s brand of comedy doesn’t have universal appeal, so Friendship may not be up your street. But if you’re already a fan of his work, then you’ll probably have a blast with Friendship.
In cinemas from Friday 18th July.
By Hannah Wales.
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