Friendship
The Art of Secondhand Embarrassment
Overview: Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives.
Friendship is a hilarious cringe comedy that showcases Tim Robinson’s knack for awkwardness and Paul Rudd’s effortless charm.
Friendship is a hilarious comedy that should especially please fans of cringe humor. Tim Robinson, best known for the Netflix sketch series I Think You Should Leave, brings his signature awkward style to the big screen in his first leading film role. Directed by Andrew DeYoung, the film also stars Paul Rudd and Kate Mara, who help ground this uncomfortable—but often laugh-out-loud—exploration of adult male friendship.
Robinson plays Craig Waterman, a suburban dad whose job involves convincing customers to abandon their product returns—a fitting occupation for someone so naturally abrasive. Despite having a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and a son, Craig’s life feels painfully hollow. He has no meaningful connections, no real hobbies, and no idea how to connect with people. That starts to change when he meets his new neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd), a charismatic local weatherman with an easygoing charm. Craig quickly becomes obsessed with Austin’s seemingly perfect life, especially once he’s invited into his circle of friends.
What follows is a series of increasingly cringeworthy moments, mostly fueled by Craig misreading social cues and pushing boundaries. While the script is sharp and dotted with well-timed jokes, much of the comedy comes from simply watching Robinson and Rudd bounce off each other. Robinson fully embraces Craig’s most unbearable traits, never trying to make him overly sympathetic. Rudd, meanwhile, gives a performance reminiscent of his role in Only Murders in the Building—charming on the surface, with just enough edge to suggest there’s something simmering underneath. Together, they sell the film’s uneasy central dynamic.
It moves along well, with some scenes that definitely get a laugh—one involving a frog and another centered on Kate Mara’s character’s mysterious disappearance were particular highlights. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it’s also not especially memorable. Part of that is due to the main arc never quite landing—Craig starts the film so grating that his eventual downfall doesn’t feel like much of a shift. Still, the film earns credit for resisting the temptation to lean into cheap sentimentality in its final stretch.
Friendship is light, silly fun—and while it may not be groundbreaking, it’s bound to make you laugh at least a few times, especially if you enjoy watching someone unravel in the most awkward ways possible.