Friendship (2025) Review: Tim Robinson’s Comedy Isn’t for Me

Friendship

Directed by: Andrew DeYoung

Written by: Andrew DeYoung

Starring: Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Published: May 26, 2025

Tim Robinson’s brand of comedy is an acquired taste—one I haven’t acquired. His anti-comedy style feels deeply unpleasant to me, with characters that are deliberately off-putting. I understand he aims to make audiences uncomfortable, but for me, it just isn’t funny. Friendship, Robinson’s first feature-length starring role, is a perfect showcase of everything I dislike about his comedic style.

In Friendship, Robinson plays Craig Waterman, an inconsiderate, self-centered jerk. His wife, Tami (Kate Mara), is a cancer survivor and frankly way out of his league. If a movie is going to pair an attractive, accomplished woman with a schlub of a man, it at least needs to explain why. There’s nothing remotely appealing about Craig—he sports a goofy haircut, says only the most off-putting things, and lacks any redeeming qualities.

Craig’s job perfectly mirrors his emptiness: he makes apps more addictive through any means possible. Unsurprisingly, he has no real friends—who would want to spend time with him outside of work or familial obligations? Yet, the film is titled Friendship, so someone has to take the hit. Enter Austin (Paul Rudd), a TV weatherman who’s almost too friendly for his own good.

Austin meets Craig after receiving a package intended for his new neighbor. He invites Craig on a strange little adventure and promises they’ll be the best of friends. For a short time, Austin’s good nature makes Craig marginally more tolerable. Craig even tries to mimic Austin’s better traits, like an alien awkwardly learning to be human. But naturally, it doesn’t last. Craig’s worst qualities resurface, and he alienates Austin just as quickly as he befriended him.

The rest of Friendship is an excruciatingly unfunny series of awkward encounters as Craig attempts to win Austin back. The humor—if you can call it that—feels forced and unpleasant. By the end, few laughs are shared, and little is accomplished. Craig’s character arc is a flat circle: awful to tolerable and back to awful. If you enjoy Robinson at his cringiest, maybe you’ll find Friendship amusing. I just don’t share that wavelength.

While Robinson leans into his signature discomfort-comedy, Paul Rudd and Kate Mara seem to be in entirely different movies. Rudd plays an exaggerated version of a stereotypical goofy weatherman, and he manages to wring out the film’s few genuine laughs. Mara, however, seems disengaged, and I found myself wondering why her character would even tolerate Craig, let alone marry him.

The film saddles Mara with odd quirks that are supposed to be funny—like her ex-boyfriend who she casually talks to all the time, or an uncomfortable scene where she and her son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) kiss on the lips. These moments land awkwardly, with no real payoff. They’re mentioned, commented on, and then dropped.

That brief mother-son moment exemplifies Friendship’s misguided humor. If you can find comedy in a mother and son who are just a bit too affectionate, maybe you’ll enjoy this movie. I didn’t. I spent the entire runtime grumpy and eager for it to end.

Technically, Friendship is competently made. The production is solid. But the style of humor, the tone, and Robinson’s performance just aren’t for me. If you’re a fan of his work, I’m glad for you.

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