We didn’t need another reason to bury all of those lame, cliché-ridden romantic comedies in a desert and never look back, but here comes Drinking Buddies anyway to remind us of what a great film about relationships can be like.
It’s about Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson), two friends work together at a brewery. She's dating Chris (Ron Livingston). He's with Jill (Anna Kendrick). During a weekend of camping, their friendship - along with their relationships - become strained.
This is a movie whose plot feels big because of the characters and the ways you relate to them. Immediately, you're torn. On the one hand, Kate and Luke have terrific chemistry. They get along as only best friends can. You want them to get together but you don't want the relationship's they're currently in to end. Jill is a great girlfriend. She's serious about Luke. Similarly, Kate is dating a great guy. This isn’t a story where you'd be happy to see the pre-established couple break up because the guy is secretly a skirt-chasing weasel, or the girl is an ice-queen that bullies her man. The relationships and people within them are believable. Like in real life, you can be dating the most wonderful person and be perfectly happy… until you see that green grass on the other side. Am I as happy as I could be? Is it possible I'm still in this relationship because it's comfortable? Will I regret not taking this chance down the line? It may sound like a soap opera but everyone feels that way at one point.
Seeing these people makes you reflect on your own relationships. Watching Luke, being tempted by Kate, while still wanting to love Jill made me think of the mistakes I made over the years. Every instance where I wasn't a true friend or a good partner made me appreciate Drinking Buddies because here, no one is solely at fault. Ultimately, no one really knows the rules of the game but we're all playing together so we just have to learn to accommodate the other players as best we can.
It's an insightful movie about dating, relationships, men, women, and friends. It’s for adults because it approaches real emotions with bravery and avoids the soapy and melodramatic. There also happens to be quite a few laughs along the way. If the themes and the feels weren’t enough, the cast is astounding. Magnetic actors and actresses on-screen in great 3-dimensional roles and everyone is firing on all cylinders. Initially, I wasn’t sure where the movie was going. Once the setup started paying off, I fell in love with everything about Drinking Buddies… and I don’t even like beer!
Drinking Buddies would be a great movie to watch or give to your BFF of the opposite gender. Whether you've dated in the past, or haven’t; whether you’re both single or in a relationship, it doesn't matter. Seeing it together will be like a walk down memory lane that will help you become even closer. (On DVD, June 14, 2015)
