Friendship, written and directed byAndrew DeYoung, might very well be the funniest film you see all year.Tim Robinsonstars as Craig Waterman, a suburban father who lives a mostly quiet life with his wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and his son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). When a local weatherman named Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd) moves into Craig’s neighborhood, the pair become quick friends. But after a few quality hangs, Austin decides to end his friendship with Craig, which throws Craig for a loop (as one would expect from anyone who has seen literally any Tim Robinson character).Friendshipis a wild, hilarious, and completely unhinged film that will likely leave you holding your side from laughter.
We spoke with DeYoung about making his first film and debuting it to a rapturous audience at the Toronto International Film Festival, working with Robinson and Rudd, the weird characters and stories going on in the background of Austin and Craig’s story, and his inspirations that includePaul Thomas Anderson,Martin Scorsese, andKrzysztof Kieślowski.
Andrew DeYoung on the Unlikely Inspiration Behind ‘Friendship’
“I didn’t know I was going to get that reaction, so it was a dream-come-true kind of stuff.”
COLLIDER: I was at the premiere screening at TIFF, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reaction to a movie like that before.
ANDREW DEYOUNG: Whoa! Ross, that makes us family. That was a religious experience to me and Tim [Robinson], so when I hear people were there, that’s so great that you experienced that, too.
I want to know what that experience was like since this is your first film. There were jokes where people were laughing for, like, three minutes.
DEYOUNG: It was fucked up. It probably gave me brain damage in the best way possible. It’s like when they say the first time you do a drug, you’ll always try to get back to that high. There’s a similar situation going on with that where I’m trying to write a new movie, and I’m like, “How do I getthatreaction again?” Which is a nightmare and only bad for writing. But it was such an extreme experience that was kind of a surprise. I didn’t know I was going to get that reaction, so it was a dream-come-true kind of stuff.
You’ve talked about howFriendshipcame about from being blown off by a potential friend. How did that experience eventually turn intoFriendship? What was the process of that?
DEYOUNG: I saw how I was ruminating about this feeling of rejection, and then I kind of popped out of that, and I thought, “I haven’t seen a breakup story between two straight men. I don’t think I’ve seen that necessarily.” I just started imagining essentially two dads in a neighborhood having a falling out, which happens all the time, right? I’m like, “That’s really funny. Let me just start writing, tinkering with that.” And eventually it became this movie.
“It’s a comedy, but I’m trying to make it like it’s PTA shooting it or something.”
I know you’ve also talked about howThe Masterwas an influence on this film, and that makes perfect sense once you’ve seen the movie, but are there any other movies that you had in mind that influenced this one?
DEYOUNG: Yeah.Force Majeure,Toni Erdmann,The King of Comedy. I watched a lot ofThree Colours: Bluewhen I was prepping this movie. So, not too many comedies. Things that kind of have heightened aesthetic sensibility and tone.
Since this was your directorial debut, were there any other films that you were looking for the look and the style of to match? I know you said you like Terrence Malick a lot. I wasn’t sure if there’s any film, particularly, that inspired your visual influences for that.
DEYOUNG: No one in particular. It’s an amalgamation of dramatic aesthetics. That was the key. I was adamant about this not looking like a comedy.
This is balancing a very interesting tone. I know the trailer looks like it’s almost a horror movie. If it wasn’t for Tim Robinson, you’d be like, “This is probably going to end poorly.” Was that a tone that you had difficulty managing in the making of the film?
DEYOUNG: It’s relatively in the script. Paul [Rudd]’s there, Tim’s there, and we’re all kind of headed in the same direction and managing tone ourselves. But in the initial conversations with everybody, I was like, “It’s a comedy, but I’m trying to make it like it’s this PTA shooting it or something,” you know? So, I think naturally, those two things make, hopefully, a third tone that, ideally, feels a little new.
‘Friendship’ Review: Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd Have Made the Next Great Cult Comedy | TIFF 2024
Robinson and Rudd star in one of the funniest comedies in quite some time.
Absolutely. This is really the first starring role for Tim Robinson in a movie. What was it about him that made you think he was perfect for the role? Because he is.
DEYOUNG: I think Tim’s a brilliant actor, and he can do things that so few can. I equate him with, like, a Daniel Day-Lewis in terms of the emotional capability that he has access to. So, I was like, “A guy who could do that level of acting and emotion and also be so funny?” It’s so rare to have that ability, so I was like, “It has to be Tim.”
You said you rewrote the part of Austin once Paul Rudd came on board. What was that character like originally? What changed in the process when Paul Rudd came on?
DEYOUNG: Initially, the Austin character was just in the first act and the last act, and kind of disappeared in the middle. Paul was like, “I really like this. Can I be in the movie more?” Which was such a nice compliment to hear, but I didn’t know if that could work. So, I tried it, and the more I dug into it, I was like, “Oh, I think this is actually really better for the movie and better for the arc of everybody.” So I just expanded his character and gave him a little more to hold onto and deal with and to hide.
Both Tim and Paul’s characters are in line with characters that they’ve played before, Paul especially wearing a mustache and being a weatherman. This could beAnchormanin the suburbs in some parts. Was that an intentional choice, or was it just playing into what we know from those actors?
DEYOUNG: The mustache was Paul’s choice. Tim’s just showing up and coming from his gut. Paul didn’t want to overlap too much with other stuff or for people to think we were calling reference to anything, so we’re trying to ride that line, for sure. But I let the guys trust their gut, and they’re right.
Also in the movie, Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer’s characters have their own weird stories going on in the background. Did they have any idea of what the hell their stories were? Was that expanded for them in any way?
DEYOUNG: The kissing on the mouth, almost incestuous story idea was Kate’s. I have to give her full credit. She pitched it, and I was like, “That’s so funny.” I’m like, “Let’s try it and see if it works.” And it’s just so funny. I really love when a character, even the most minor character, feels like there’s something going on with them where you could kind of feel their story. There’s something really rewarding about that, just a hint at their life. Almost like the camera could follow them, and they could have their own movie. I try to do this in TV, too, if they let me, where I want to make sure everyone feels completely 3D and overflowing with their own life. So, that’s where that comes from and is championed.
That definitely happens, especially when Conner O’Malley shows up.
DEYOUNG: Yeah,easilythe movie could follow him, right? I’m sure people would prefer that some of the time.
I mean, you could make a sequel.
DEYOUNG: Very true.
‘Friendship’ Has One of the Best Drug Trip Scenes You’ll Ever See
Friendshiphas one of the greatest drug trip scenes I have ever seen in a movie. What was the inspiration behind that, and was it based on a personal experience?
DEYOUNG: [Laughs] No, I’m actually a sober person, but I’m definitely fascinated by all that stuff. I’ve never done it, but I think that comes from a lot of the writing instincts in the movie, like, “I’m going to attempt to set you up to go one way, and then we’ll zag the other way.” So, I actually started to be like, “Well, what’s the crazy thing that’s going to happen?” And then I was like, “Actually, the most surprising thing is thatnothingcrazy at all happens.” That’s the most surprising thing. I was like, “What’s the most banal shit you could do?” Order a sandwich.
Not even get the sandwich!
DEYOUNG: Not even get it! Even worse. You walk into this dreary shop, and you just order. You don’t even get to enjoy it.
So, how did you guys get Subway to sign off? Was it always Subway?
DEYOUNG: It was always Subway. I thought that we would have to change it eventually, just given the nature, and the producers reached out, and Subway was so pumped. That made me excited because I love Subway. Subway is amazing.
Were there any things that you thought were too crazy to throw in there? That drug trip is pretty wild, but was there anything that you thought pushed the story too far in one direction?
DEYOUNG: Oh, interesting. I don’t think so. I feel like if anything felt too far, it just kind of went away immediately. Tim has a great barometer of what feels correct and what feels like too far and not far enough. We also didn’t have a ton of time to shoot, so he kind of got in there and got the meat and potatoes and had to move on. So, there wasn’t too much time to explore extremes.
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Speaking of Tim, I saw in the press notes that you sawI Think You Should Leavebefore most people did. I want to know what your favoriteI Think You Should Leavesketches are.
DEYOUNG: There are so many brilliant ones. I think in Season 2, the sketches get even longer. Even my favorite, like “You Gotta Give.” That sketch. The sloppy steak sketch. One of my true favorites is, “I got too much shit on me.” That one.
That’s my favorite.
DEYOUNG: Yeah! It’s so hard to communicate what he and Zach [Kanin] are doing. That’s why it hits so hard for people, because they’re doing stuff that’s really hard to communicate.
The “You Gotta Give” sketch definitely reminds me of the officescenes [inFriendship].
DEYOUNG: God, incredible. Tim and Zach are just so brilliant.
You guys are also collaborating on the HBO series,The Chair Company. Is there anything you can tell us about that? Do we know when it might come out? We all want it so bad.
DEYOUNG: That’s nice. Well, it’s not exactly mine. I feel like a guest on it, so I want to be a little mindful about what I share, but it’s like anI Think You Should Leavemystery, essentially. It’s a series. It’s like an episodic thing. We’ve got to shoot it all, so hopefully it comes out pretty soon. But I start working on it next week.
Friendshipcomes to theaters on May 9, before expanding nationwide on May 23.
