Drinking Buddies (2013)
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 74
Fresh: 59 | Rotten: 15
Smart, funny, and powered by fine performances from Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson, Drinking Buddies offers a bittersweet slice of observational comedy.
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 4
Smart, funny, and powered by fine performances from Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson, Drinking Buddies offers a bittersweet slice of observational comedy.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 7,564
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
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Olivia Wilde
Kate -
Jake M. Johnson
Luke -
Anna Kendrick
Jill -
Ron Livingston
Chris -
Ti West
Dave -
Jason Sudeikis
Gene Dentler (billed... -
Mike Brune
Mike -
Frank V. Ross
Frank -
Michael Gaertner
Man w/Fiance -
Kristin Davis
Fiance -
Jim Cibak
Jim -
-
Joe Swanberg
Angry Car Guy -
Michael Zeller
Eli -
ADVERTISEMENT
Drinking Buddies Trailer & Photos
All Critics (74) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (15)
Here's a toast to the cast and crew: "Drinking Buddies" is a three-dimensional movie that doesn't require beer goggles.
Top Critic[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.
A meandering, unfocused kind-of love story among 20 and 30-somethings that grates as much as it pleases.
Wilde and the other actors really seem to relish Swanberg's approach, getting to say things that real people might actually say, communicating not with big speeches but with small moments.
If you're going to build an entire film on microexpressions, then a certain innate magnetism is required. Swanberg gets it in spades from his top-shelf cast.
Cast is good, material is a weak brew.
DRINKING BUDDIES is a surprisingly complex and charming movie about 2 best friends who are at a crossroads in their lives. Olivia Wilde gives her best performance to date, and her chemistry with Jake Johnson is a joy to watch.
This baby has video on demand written all over it.
Pretension. Pretension. Pretension.
The alcohol flows freely...but happily not all the high spirits are of the liquid variety.
For a film in which the main characters work at a brewery and imbibe the fruits of their labour in almost every scene, Drinking Buddies is an oddly flat concoction.
A capable cast helps bolster this otherwise slight drama about sexual tension and wandering eyes.
the film casually observes the authentic complexities of relationships as they're tested, and eventually exposed, as obstacles - and sometimes, gateways - to true intimacy.
The clean visuals make "Drinking Buddies" seem more crafted and less observed, adding a thin barrier to empathy. But if you're looking for a movie to drink beer to that won't kill too many additional brain cells, it serves just fine.
Jake Johnson and Olivia Wilde give some passionate performances, but Drinking Buddies is otherwise nothing more than a drunken blur that you'll likely forget about by morning.
Audience Reviews for Drinking Buddies
Super Reviewer
Good movie! The plot of Drinking Buddies is simple: two close co-workers - both already in relationships - struggle with their feelings toward one another. This is a relatable concept for many of us, and those of us who have been in this situation understand just how complicated it can get. Olivia Wilde is outstanding and while it's not the powerhouse role I've been waiting for her to take on, it does further establish her as an impressively natural and charismatic talent simply in need of the right roles. It won't appeal to everyone, because as it is so realistic, not much happens. It's more focused on the almosts and the might-have-beens than the happeneds. But it's so delightful, funny, observant, and coyly ambiguous, I really hope people give it a chance. It's not going to revolutionize cinema or anything but it has an authenticity, spark and lively wit that the genre generally eschews in favor of saccharine clichés and melodramatic crying scenes.
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.
Super Reviewer
-
- 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.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Guess the Tomatometer??? | 45 days ago | 6 |
What's Hot On RT
New Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Naomi Watts is Princess Di
The Hangover 3, The Purge, and More
Trailer for a squirrely heist flick
See what's on TV tonight
Latest News on Drinking Buddies
August 22, 2013:
Critics Consensus: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Is a Derivative FantasyThis week at the movies, we've got a teenage demon-slayer (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,...
August 22, 2013:
Joe Swanberg Drinking Buddies InterviewOn embracing the romantic comedy -- and mumblecore.
Fresh Links
Featured
Halloween Movies For Wimps
Scary movies too scary for you? Here are some alternatives for October 31st.
10 Best Superhero TV Shows
HitFix combs through TV history to compile a superpowered list.
Ridiculous Movie Mistakes
RollingStone proves even the best movies miss a details here and there.
Deadly Movie Kids
Moviefone lists 11 Movie Kids Who Could Kick Our Asses.
50 States, 50 Movies
For July 4th, TimeOut has compiled 50 state-specific movie choices.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- Primetime Preview: Supernatural, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and More 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Hangover Part III, The Purge, and More 11
- Primetime Preview: Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow and More 0
- NYFF: Joaquin Phoenix and James Gray talk The Immigrant 2
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Gravity Stuns with Record $55M Launch 80
- Primetime Preview: Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time and More 4
- Weekly Ketchup: Disney Plans Live Action Cruella de Vil Movie 37
Top Headlines
-
Fox Animated Series, ABC Comedies Tumble in Sunday Ratings
0
-
Bong Joon-ho Reportedly "Furious" About Snowpiercer Cuts
0
-
Record-Setting Number of Films Competing in Foreign-Language Oscar Race
0
-
Woody Allen Cancels Blue Jasmine's India Premiere
1
-
Lionsgate Wants Gary Ross and Jennifer Lawrence's Burial Rites
1
-
ABC Plans Kevin Hart-Inspired Series
0
-
The Shining's Danny Torrance Is All Grown Up
1
