Cert - 15

Run-time - 1 hour 41 minutes

Director - Andrew DeYoung

Suave new neighbour Austin (Paul Rudd) brings a turbulent and increasingly desperate spark to marketing exec Craig's (Tim Robinson) socially distant life.

Friendship plays out like a reverse Banshees Of Inisherin. Marketing exec Craig (Tim Robinson) finds himself at a distance from his colleagues, wife Tami (Kate Mara) and teenage son (Jack Dylan Glazer), but the arrival of carefree TV weatherman neighbour Austin (Paul Rudd) could bring a spark into his life. Yet, the friendship never truly starts.

The pair bond whilst wandering through sewers, however after an incident during a sparring session with Austin's friends an extended attempt to make up for things involving almost eating a bar of soap - creating one of the most excruciating moments of the year - sees Craig pushed away. And so he sets on a path to increasingly desperately make amends, only amplifying the awkwardness.

While part of the make or break for Friendship will be how those around you, if anyone, responds - I watched this in a quietly attended screening with a scattered reception - much of how it comes across depends on your tolerance for high-level cringe comedy. I personally like the style but found the film running out of steam about halfway through as plot elements began to stretch; with one drug trip sequence set in a Subway providing some chuckles but feeling slotted in amongst the surroundings.

There's self-doubt and insecurity within Craig. Especially as Tami talks about the help her fireman ex-boyfriend (Josh Segarra) has been in the months since she's been cancer-free. Yet, even as he drives his own relationships into the ground, with a feeling of not knowing how to respond in many situations, there's a consistent feeling of him trying his best. Constantly in search of the hope that he could be the cool guy, or at least someone who people want to talk to and have a laugh with. Unfortunately his frequent response to awkwardness is to inadvertently add more awkwardness.

Robinson, whose character was written specially with him in mind by writer-director Andrew DeYoung, brings some of his I Think You Should Leave energy to Craig and gives a strong praise-worthy performance from which much of the humour stems. All while the solid supporting cast looks on in shock, horror and an air of not knowing how to respond to the 'performance' that Craig presents them with.

The film doesn't quite struggle to maintain things in the same way that he does, even if it does start to wonder in the second half when loneliness turns into isolation and the central figure finds himself at a loss of how to fix things. To some extent the film finds itself in a similar position before a successful finale. It leads to a slower pace and the run-time eventually being felt, despite the occasional chuckles that are still present.

Yet, it's testament to Robinson and the film that Craig, with all the effectively humorous cringe-inducing moments he provides, remains an engaging and not wholly unlikable character

Three stars