Culture
Now Playing: ‘With Friends Like These, You Don’t Need Enemies’
By: Gordon Briggs
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Now Playing is a column by film scholar Dr. Gordon Briggs. This installment in the series corresponds to the Now Playing column that ran on Tuesday, June 3 about Friendship.
The new A24 film Friendship tells the story of a happy bromance that turns self-destructive. However, the film is the latest example of a story that revolves around a friendship gone wrong. These movies oscillate between psychological thrillers and dark comedies. Specifically, they explore what it is like to try and lose someone in a world where everyone can be found at the click of a button.
Chuck and Buck (2000) is a movie that creates some sort of weird magic. Here we meet Chuck, a thirty-something executive whose successful life is turned upside-down by the arrival of his once best friend from childhood, Buck (Mike White). What starts out as a playful visit from a childhood friend becomes more disturbing as Buck, stuck in a perpetual childhood state, fixates on Chuck. Things get weirder when Buck writes a children’s theater production about some events from their past that Chuck would rather forget. Some might find the offbeat tone and uncomfortable subject matter to be distracting. However, as a movie about a very unusual friendship, its perversity becomes oddly endearing. Rating: ★ ★ ★1/2
The Gift (2015) is an effective thriller because of how so much of it revolves around the burden of being polite. Here, married couple Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) unexpectedly encounter Gordo (Joel Edgerton), an acquaintance from Simon’s past. At first, their interactions are pleasant. Gordo drops by unannounced but always brings a gift, but then his friend keeps dropping by. Plus, he might be secretly breaking into their house and taking things. At first, the movie appears to be an ordinary domestic thriller where a wealthy couple is stalked by their mysterious ‘friend.’ However, halfway through the story, The Gift becomes more ambiguous as we realize Jason Batman’s character is not the nice guy he appears to be and that his seemingly ordinary life came at a high price. As a result, the audience starts to rethink where the danger comes from. It’s a surprisingly effective film about a friendship gone wrong. Rating: ★★★1/2
Ingrid Goes West (2017) It’s a question many of us have asked ourselves, “Am I addicted to social media?” This movie spins that idea into something dark but wickedly funny. Following her mother’s death, young Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza), addicted to her social media, escapes a boring life by moving out West to befriend her Instagram obsession, played by Elizabeth Olsen. The movie creates comedy and genuine sadness by exploring a parasocial relationship spawned by someone who thinks they are closer to someone than they actually are. The real credit for the movie should go to Aubrey Plaza. She’s quite believable as an unhinged social media stalker who confuses Facebook ‘likes’ with genuine connection. Rating: ★ ★ ★1/2