Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd both prove they are comedy legends in A24’s Friendship, which will have viewers laughing until their cheeks hurt.
Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave. Sometimes the jokes land for me and sometimes they don’t. Because of this I went into Friendship cautiously optimistic. I love Paul Rudd’s work so that is what initial sparked my interest in the movie. Surprisingly, this ended up being one of my favorite films to come out of SXSW 2025.
For me, the movie did start off a little slow with only every other joke or so really hitting me the way it was hitting others. But once the second act started I could not stop laughing.
Friendship follows Craig (Robinson) who is a suburban dad living a fairly boring life. He has no friends and seems to be on the outs with his wife, played by Kate Mara. When he meets his new neighbor Austin (Rudd) he is inspired to become a new man as the two form a fast friendship.
With Craig’s life rapidly changing, he goes too hard too quickly, causing things to go horribly wrong for him. This unique take on men’s adult friendship is hilarious because the movie itself plays so straight. I wouldn’t say the movie takes itself too seriously, because it is fully aware that it needed to be straight in order for the comedy to work. Because of them there are some moments that had me laughing until I had tears streaming down my cheeks.
I promise you that you have never seen a buddy movie like this before. It is the little, subtle moments that really make Friendship shine. There are so many that I want to point out, but I also do not want to ruin the jokes.
One of the best things about this movie is that it is unafraid to go there. It gets dark. Things get twisted. And poor Craig, well, he kind of brings it all on himself. There are so many things he does that will make you want to yell through the screen at him to stop and think about what he is doing.
Mara and Robinson have so many great scenes together. She is known as a dramatic actor and she fully leans into that, even though so much of what she is doing on screen is hilarious. I saw her in three movies during SXSW 2025, and each time she proves why she is an icon in this industry.
Of course, Rudd and Robinson are the heart and soul of the film. Whenever they are together, it is almost certain that you will be laughing. Both of their approaches to comedy work extremely well together and I will love to see them in more projects together.
I promise you that you will never be able to guess how Friendship ends, which is something that I truly love about it. The fact that it goes in several completely unexpected directions is sure to keep audiences on their toes. Never knowing what is going to happen next is part of the humor of it all.
Honestly, I am surprised I enjoyed Friendship as much as I did because, as I said, Robinson’s brand of comedy is hit or miss for me. It took a little bit of time to get going, but once it did, I was having the time of my life.
Friendship played at SXSW 2025 and will head to theaters on May 9.
About Friendship
Suburban dad Craig has his life turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor. As Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend spiral out of control, their blossoming relationship threatens to ruin both of their lives.
Friendship played at SXSW 2025.
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Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd both prove they are comedy legends in A24's Friendship, which will have viewers laughing until their cheeks hurt.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.