It is official: Tim Robinson is a number one man. After slowly however steadily increase a resume working in TV over time, Robinson makes the leap to the large display screen because the star of “Friendship,” a twisted new comedy that co-stars Paul Rudd. “Friendship” premiered on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition final 12 months, and in all honesty, it did not appear to garner as a lot hype as another competition fare. However the first trailer for the movie arrived at the moment courtesy of the parents at A24, and the outcomes look nothing wanting unbelievable. See for your self.
In “Friendship,” Robinson performs Craig, a suburban man who begins bonding along with his neighbor, Austin, performed by Rudd. Issues … do not go in accordance with plan. Look, it is clear that this trailer is holding one thing again and never giving us your complete image. However from the look of issues, it is apparent the friendship between Craig and Austin goes horribly improper for some cause. The footage right here made me consider two totally different items of leisure. One is “I Love You, Man,” a movie which, coincidentally sufficient, additionally featured Rudd. In that comedy, Rudd performed a soon-to-be-married man who does not actually have any shut male mates in his life. Finally, whereas on the seek for a finest man at his marriage ceremony, Rudd’s character meets one other man performed by Jason Segel, and the 2 find yourself in a bromance. In some ways, “Friendship” seems to be the darkish, evil inverse of “I Love You, Man.”
The opposite factor the trailer known as to thoughts for me is “Homer Loves Flanders,” the now-classic episode of “The Simpsons” that gave us what would grow to be the well-known “Homer backing up into the bush” meme. Within the episode, Simpsons patriarch Homer finds himself befriending his nerdy non secular neighbor, Ned Flanders, a person he normally despises. In a twist, whereas Homer retains rising fonder and fonder of Flanders, Flanders rapidly turns into sick of Homer and his boorish conduct.
But, regardless that “Friendship” remembers these acquainted bits of comedy, it is clear that there is greater than meets the attention right here. And the wild card in the entire state of affairs is Tim Robinson.
Are we prepared for Tim Robinson: main man?
Like many individuals, I first turned conscious of Robinson through “I Suppose You Ought to Go away,” a sketch comedy collection that premiered on Netflix in 2019. With out realizing a lot concerning the present, I gave it a try to discovered myself in near-hysterics proper from the primary episode. Whereas most individuals classify “I Suppose You Ought to Go away” as “cringe” comedy (and certainly, even the press supplies for “Friendship” play up the concept the movie is bringing the cringe humor of “I Suppose You Ought to Go away” to the large display screen), I do not know if that is totally correct. I say that just because I historically don’t look after cringe humor — it makes me so uncomfortable that I find yourself feeling unhealthy somewhat than amused. And but, that does not occur with “I Suppose You Ought to Go away.” The humor throughout the collection is unusual — surreal, subversive, deranged. It is outlandish and bizzare, however in a approach that has me laughing so onerous tears begin forming in my eyes (that is not hyperbole; when I first watched the “Karl Havoc” sketch from season 2, during which Robinson dons an unconvincing disguise, I used to be laughing so onerous I actually started to cry).
Robinson did not get his begin on “I Suppose You Ought to Go away.” He carried out with the Second Metropolis improv and numerous different stay comedy acts earlier than transferring into TV. After filming a Comedy Central pilot that was by no means picked up, Robinson finally landed a featured performer gig on “Saturday Evening Reside” earlier than transferring from performing to the present’s writing workers. In 2017, Robinson co-created the collection “Detroiters,” which he co-starred in together with fellow creator Sam Richardson. The collection lasted two seasons. Lastly, it was “I Suppose You Ought to Go away” that helped put Robinson’s title within the collective consciousness. The collection, with its endlessly quotable sketches, has garnered an enormous, cult-ish following and utterly invaded the zeitgeist, as evident by the truth that the sketch that has Robinson carrying a scorching canine costume and stating “We’re all looking for the man who did this!” has grow to be a catch-all meme.
However all of that is housed throughout the realm of TV and streaming. Robinson has had film roles earlier than — he voiced the Ugly Sonic within the hilarious “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” film, as an example. However “Friendship” is his first time performing because the main man of a film. And I’ve to marvel: is a wider, non-TV viewers prepared for that? To be clear: I do not assume anybody, not even the parents at A24, count on “Friendship” to be some type of field workplace juggernaut. However I am very curious to see how (and if) Robinson’s model of weirdo humor — which is on full show within the trailer, regardless that Robinson did not write the movie itself (director Andrew DeYoung did) — performs with moviegoers. It won’t, however I do know I am all-in on this movie, and might’t wait to see it when it arrives in theaters someday in Could.
