Allan Watched "Drinking Buddies"
“Drinking Buddies” starts as a standard, predictable mumblecore flick that feels extremely familiar, but it ends up being a refreshing take on the form with a simple, satisfying ending that justifies its simplistic means.
Gut Feeling
It was a movie that I wanted to love going into it, and I ended up really liking it. I was concerned after being able to predict every moment of the first thirty minutes, but strong performances by Jake Johnson (New Girl) and Olivia Wild (House, Tron: Legacy) give the last hour enough momentum to finish as a very delightful movie.
Jake and Olivia Lead the Way
Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) and Ron Livingston (Office Space) play Johnson and Wilde’s partners, with Livingston working much better in the fully improvised dialog. His character Chris feels pretty well rounded and carries much of the first act. I think it took Kendrick’s character Jill’s marriage conversation halfway through for her to complete a full sentence that was not describing whatever object is directly next to her in the scene, and she feels very one dimensional until her strong final scene with Johnson.
But when it’s all said and done, it is the chemistry of Johnson and Wilde that makes this movie a success. Early on all you want is the camera to get back to them, and as the two of them push the story to its conclusion, each gives an emotionally satisfying performance that feels fresher than the normal “we aren’t a couple but want to be but we can’t” characters that plague a lot of indie films.
Face the Damn Camera, and Grab Me A Beer!
There are too many scenes with two actors facing each other with the coverage just being their profiles! It gets distracting very quickly, particularly when Anna Kendrick can’t control her constantly darting eyes.
With that said, I loved everything in the brewery. Filming those scenes in a real brewery was an awesome choice. Writer/director Joe Swanberg (Digging For Fire, other mumblecore stuff) said it was important to him to be in a real brewery, with the cast doing real work throughout the movie. I bought it and liked it. And I want beer.
Peak Mumblecore Improvised Dialog
The entire film was unscripted and fully improvised, and it took a solid 30 minutes for it to work. The issues were mainly the early scenes, especially anything with Anna Kendrick. There wasn’t a sustained dialog during the first act, and it was somewhere in between “naturalistic brevity” and “please stop describing the object you are holding.”
Early on, Ron Livingston does really well with the form. Chris is the first character in the film that has an emotional arc, and he killed it. The dude was born for mumblecore. As the film progressed, Olivia Wilde was able to navigate the most emotional journey of the movie, and Jake Johnson is able to shake his “Nick Miller” shtick to meet her intensity in the most important moments. As far as mumblecore improvised movies go, this is one of the best with dialog.
The Music Was Fine
Typical indie shit. Didn’t add a ton to the movie, didn’t take anything away. The music was fine. There were only three scenes that included someone putting on an album on a turntable, turning it on, and slowly turning to look at the love interest in the scene. That’s pretty low in terms of indie standards.
Random Thoughts!
Ron Livingston doesn’t age! He looks the same as he did in “Office Space” and as Carrie Bradshaw’s schoolgirl crush.
I hope that Chicago flag tattoo Jake Johnson has in the movie is real. It was dope.
I refuse to believe that Jill just HAPPENED to have a book bag full of wine glasses for her hike with Chris.
Kate and Luke play blackjack while the other two hike, and they play it wrong! Luke deals one card to her and himself, and then asks if she wants to hit, and she hits. WITH ONLY ONE CARD DEALT. I literally don’t know what happened in the following five minutes, I was too distracted.
Luke handing Kate the banana was my only audible laugh of the movie, but it was a good one.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time!
Where was I watching it?
Watched it on the couch, distracted only by my laptop. I drank a five-hour old iced coffee during the viewing, which is pretty standard. I did also eat taco bell while watching.
Did Kellye Watch it? If Yes, did she like it? If no, would she like it?
Kellye watched five minutes about 45 minutes in. Said “Hey look, Nick Miller,” then said the movie was annoying and sat upstairs. She did yell down once and say they sound “typical.” Whatever that means. So no, I don’t think my dear Kellye would like it, despite her love for Nick Miller.
Favorite fact I learned from Wikipedia
Olivia Wilde said that the cast was hammered the entire filming, because they were really consuming as much beer as you see on screen.
So What Does Allan Give It?
One gold thumbs up! Overall, a score of 75. Which means Allan liked it a lot.
