Friendship Comedy Movie Behind The Scenes Facts
And let's just say, if you're a fan of the show I Think You Should Leave, this will be 1000% up your alley because the film feels like an extra-long episode of that show. And it's great, 10/10 would recommend.
Because I enjoy a good deep-dive into things I like, here are some interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the film I just learned:
This is writer-director Andrew DeYoung's debut feature film. His previous credits include directing for shows like Our Flag Means Death, Pen15, and Shrill.
Although the writing and jokes seem ~very~ Tim Robinson, he was shockingly not a writer (or even co-writer) on it.
However, DeYoung says that Tim did come to mind while writing his script. "Thankfully, he said 'yes' when I sent it [the script] to him," he told Entertainment Weekly.
DeYoung and Robinson are actually good friends IRL, which maybe explains why DeYoung was able to capture Tim Robinson's comedic voice so well in the film.
You might think there was a ton of improv in the film, but apparently, Robinson doesn't like improv. According to DeYoung, they did do it [improv], as Rudd is "exceptional" at it. But while a few things made it into the movie, for the most part what you see was written on the page.
Part of DeYoung's inspiration was his own friendship "issues" IRL. He explained, "A few years ago, I had my own Friendship issues that I was trying to resolve, and I realized that I'd never seen a breakup story about two middle-aged men. It's something that's happening all the time. It's tragic but it's also deeply funny."
And interestingly, DeYoung wrote the script in 2020 during the pandemic.
Another surprising inspiration for the film was actually Paul Thomas Anderson's film The Master — a dramatic story about a guru who becomes dangerously entangled with one of his acolytes.
And Robinson was immediately on board with that concept. DeYoung said, "When I finished the Friendship screenplay, I told Tim that I had written it for him and that I wanted to shoot the story like it was The Master. He got right back to me and just said, 'Great, let's do it.'"
Originally, the supporting role of Austin was a smaller part, which DeYoung says "made attracting talent trickier than expected."
And the part of Austin was actually rewritten for Paul Rudd. DeYoung explained, "It [the script] got to Paul Rudd, and it was just clear how amazing that would be."
In fact, Paul Rudd's character was originally named Brian. But then Rudd pointed out that "Brian" was the name of his character in Anchorman, who is ALSO a news guy.
And it was Paul Rudd who pitched the name "Austin" instead of Brian.
As for the role of Tami, played by Kate Mara, DeYoung wanted Robinson to act against someone not traditionally known for comedy.
In fact, Mara was one of the first people pitched to DeYoung. He told Entertainment Weekly, "I met her and immediately was like, 'Yeah, you're perfect. Let's do this.'"
"Spiritual emptiness" is a theme DeYoung wanted to really emphasize in the film saying that in today's society, "capital has replaced religion." He continued, "I wanted to point to that, and to the almost religious grasp that companies like Marvel have on our culture."
Echoing that empty feeling, they actually filmed in ice-cold weather — upstate New York in January and February for 23 days.
And, despite the film being a comedy, DeYoung didn't want the audience to feel "safe or settled."
Finally, to emphasize that uneasy feeling, the filmmakers used as much natural lighting as possible. In fact, they took inspiration from the 2018 psychological thriller Burning. In particular, they looked to a scene where the characters in that film are sitting outside at sunset. "We were reaching for something similar and to bring it into a comedy, where everybody's guard is down," said DeYoung.
Friendship opens in theaters on May 9. And if you wanna see more, you can check out the official trailer here:
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