By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

The feature directorial debut of writer-director Andrew DeYoung, Friendship is a cringe comedy about adult male friendship that fully leans into the absurd. Tim Robinson stars in the film as Craig Waterman, a bored suburban father who lives with his wife Tami (Kate Mara) and their teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer), who really loves his mother.

When they get a package meant for their new neighbour, Craig goes to drop it off, and he is instantly struck by meeting “cool guy” Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd), a TV weatherman who collects ancient artifacts. It’s the friendship version of the “meet cute” moment in a romantic comedy; at first, the two hit it off, and begin hanging out at night, with Austin taking him on odd adventures. But then things get very, very awkward between them, born out of Craig’s desperate desire to be included and liked in Austin’s friend group.

The film mainly serves as a fun showcase for the unique comic stylings of Robinson and Rudd, allowing them to each play variations of what they do best. Robinson, of the sketch comedy series I Think You Should Leave, excels at playing the man-child who is both neurotic and innocent, finding that balance between off-putting and strangely sympathetic. Rudd is playing a version of his usual charmer, but with his character making a series of odd choices that just make the portrayal even funnier.

The film will draw some obvious comparisons to the comedy I Love You, Man, which gave Rudd one of his breakout roles fifteen years ago, though this film is way weirder than that and plays like the bizarro version of it. It can feel a bit scattered and sketch-like in its construction, but DeYoung stages so many random and very funny bits that the film as a whole becomes consistently entertaining and amusing to watch. The Midnight Madness crowd being on its specific wavelength made it more fun.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Sunday, September 8th, 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre; Tuesday, September 10th, 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Saturday, September 14th, 3:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre