Drinking Buddies (2013)
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Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and powered by fine performances from Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson, Drinking Buddies offers a bittersweet slice of observational comedy.
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and powered by fine performances from Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson, Drinking Buddies offers a bittersweet slice of observational comedy.
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Movie Info
Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery, where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They're perfect for each other, except that they're both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend Chris. But you know what makes the line between "friends" and "more than friends" really blurry? Beer. (c) Magnolia- Rating:
- R (for language throughout)
- Genre:
- Drama , Comedy
- Directed By:
- Joe Swanberg
- Written By:
- Joe Swanberg
- In Theaters:
- Aug 23, 2013 Limited
- On DVD:
- Dec 3, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $0.3M
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Cast
-
Olivia Wilde
as Kate -
Jake M. Johnson
as Luke -
Anna Kendrick
as Jill -
Ron Livingston
as Chris -
Ti West
as Dave -
Jason Sudeikis
as Gene Dentler (billed...
Related News & Features
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Five Favorite Films with Joe Swanberg
– Rotten Tomatoes
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LoginCritic Reviews for Drinking Buddies
All Critics (108) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (90) | Rotten (18) | DVD (3)
The film's quartet of post-slackers are captured as they feel their way around the edges of what they want (and are afraid to ask for) with painful accuracy.
Here's a toast to the cast and crew: "Drinking Buddies" is a three-dimensional movie that doesn't require beer goggles.
[Swanberg] points the movie in directions that defy our expectations, exploring the characters' immaturity and the entropy of human interaction.
Not much happens in Drinking Buddies, which, frankly, is refreshing.
"Drinking Buddies" sneaks up on you; you think it's going in one direction, and suddenly it goes somewhere much more interesting.
Swanberg doesn't exactly reinvent the romantic-comedy formula, but he explores it in unexpected ways, with a terrific cast making the relationships all the more genuine and enjoyable.
I was a bit skeptical when I first learned about Drinking Buddies, because I did not expect Wilde and her cohorts to be up for the task; thankfully, I was proven wrong, and the actors go places that I would never expect studio-seasoned actors to go.
A beautifully observed dramedy about modern friendship and romance; funny, poignant, unforgettable.
It finds its groove with sincere, nuanced performances and a realistic attitude to romance as refreshing as a fistful of Citra hops.
For a film all about the betrayal of those we love the most, Drinking Buddies is a supremely optimistic, warm-hearted picture, with fine, freeing performances from its entire (albeit very small) cast.
As much a shining example of an improvised film that works as an example of one that doesn't, Drinking Buddies is nevertheless a solid romantic comedy.
It's warm, witty and wise.
A touching, truthful look at how friendships work when things go off road.
Funny, nuanced, relatable, touching, and an absolute pleasure to watch.
It's about what doesn't happen as much as what does. It's like real life, especially the beer part.
...won't change your world, but it's a nice movie to have a beer with.
With a little more thought, "Drinking Buddies" could have been an intriguing character drama, but just like a night of heavy drinking, it's something you're not likely to remember.
The characters are likeable and engaging and the film ends up being amiable, if not quite winning.
The actors are so casual it doesn't look like they're performing.
The story meanders, purposefully, and doesn't lead to the places a similar studio film would go; Swanberg recognizes that disillusionmnet and disappointment are more frequent and universal occurences than heartbreak.
As an exploration of a specific point in life, this film is authentic and observant. But it has a tendency to preach at us, overdramatising issues rather than letting them play out organically.
If you're in the mood for a talky independent that doesn't look as if it's been made a by a wannabe Woody Allen, Drinking Buddies might just leave you feeling that your glass is more than half full.
Small and earthy, this low-key drama simply follows a group of 30-ish characters as they use their friends to sort out their own issues.
There are emotional razors amid the wooziness.
Swanberg is not so much kowtowing to romcom convention as putting great care into crafting something idiosyncratic, sneakily intelligent-and totally disposable.
Workshopped, improvised and mostly shot in small spaces, Swanberg's intimate drama is teased out with killer, subtle performances.
Audience Reviews for Drinking Buddies
Sited as the first film of the 'Mumblecore' movement to be recognised as such and to high acclaim. personally I think the term mumblecore is as stupid as it sounds. I recognise the style and like it most of the time but this style is nothing knew and is quite common universally. It's a bullshit idea that applies only to those who refuse to watch anything other than independent American cinema, like it's the pinnacle of all things creative. I'm not knocking independent American cinema, I like it very much but there is a huge difference between this kind of film and the French new wave and much in between. The need to label everything has lead to everything being labeled incorrectly, misunderstood and unfairly ridiculed, like there are any rules. Anyway, Drinking Buddies is a performance driven simple tale of relationships and beer. I work brilliantly although I did find myself wondering if director Swanberg knows the difference between intrigue and pulling teeth. For all of its pain flaws (and they are painful) it can't be accused of being unrealistic, the truth is that these are painful truths brought to life. Well done but frustrating all the same. Why only 3 stars? Because you can only watch it once.
http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/drinking-buddies-dir-joe-swanberg-2013.html
Super Reviewer
This. Is. Mumblecore. Some critics and audiences feel that this movement is the official death of cinema. My take on Drinking Buddies is that not since Richard Linklater's earliest works has a film been so refreshing and unique. Naturalistic settings, minimal narrative structure, and what seems like improvised dialogue by four incredible actors, Drinking Buddies is the Indie romance I've been wanting to see again since the 90s.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Dressed down, sunglassed up Olivia Wilde sans bra and make-up is crazysexycool as just one of the guys in a microbrewery of dudes. She has great chemistry with gruff 'n grumble Jake Johnson, and they play platonic, opposite sex besties with camaraderie and tension.
There are some great silent, intimate moments (Kate quietly and awkwardly getting into bed with Luke; Luke bringing Kate a beer and Kate giving him some fries at the end), but the movie is a little indie-slow with not so much as a "will they/won't they" arc but a "will they do the 'will they/won't they' arc...or won't they"...arc...? It's unclear whether Luke and Kate are into each other or not, so the climax that reveals "what could have been" comes out of nowhere.
Super Reviewer
It's understandable why some people want nothing to do with this addition to the Mumblecore genre, and why others find it delightful, funny, and obscure in many ways. The most interesting aspect of the film's production would have to be the fact that there was no shooting script and that all of the dialogue was completely improvised by the entire cast. It's one of those films that feels organic and real in its characters and the things they discuss. I'm not sure how, generally, there is a script when dealing with scenes that feel this real and improvised. Each of the characters are interesting, the dynamics between the core characters revolve and keep you guessing throughout, and it ends openly. Unlike many romantic indie films there isn't any judgment on the actions of different characters and the outcome isn't a morality lesson. Instead we're viewing the characters as vulnerable individuals. They are completely flawed, lovable messes, and we're never sure about which way the plot is going to go. The relationship between friends Luke (Johnson) and Kate (Wilde) is always in flux, and while you secretly want them to be together, to fall in love as their predecessors have always done before them, there's this seedy underbelly that veers that assumption off course. We want the payoff of a romantic comedy, but we don't want to see Luke's girlfriend Jill (Kendrick) hurt in any way. Then there's misdirection and that relationship becomes questionable. Director and writer Swansberg has said that the ending is up for interpretation, but you can find solid evidence of a conclusion by the end. The film covers two friends struggling against their feelings for one another, and that can't quite be reconciled by the end. Still, the film can be interpreted to be about the shakiness of modern relationships, and how we doubt love, even when we're at our strongest. Either way it's an interesting and funny watch.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Drinking Buddies Quotes
- Kate:
- You made your own bed, alright?
- Luke:
- Yeah, and you fucking slept in it.
- Kate:
- Well, you didn't stop me.
- Kate:
- It's good. It has just enough room for me and my imaginary cat.
- Kate:
- That's the problem with heartbreak, to you it's like an atomic bomb and to the world it's just really cliche, because in the end we all have the same experience.
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