Drinking Buddies (2013)

Kate: "I just need a smaller place, 'cause my place is meant for two and I am meant for one."

By Joe Swanberg
With Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick

I didn't investigate too much into Drinking Buddies before deciding to see it. I like beer and it seemed like a light comedy about relationships that I could watch once I'd be in the mood. It was only after that I realized it was by the same director of Autoerotic (2011) which was a really bad movie overall.

Kate and Luke are colleagues at a brewery, where he makes the beer and she serves it and is responsible for promotions and tasting events. Both love beer to a great extent and love going out for drinks after work with their other colleagues. They seem to be really good friends without much boundaries except for the fact that they are both in relationships. When they go for a weekend on a double date it clearly seems that their respective loved ones are much better with one another and Luke and Kate with one another. As expected with four individuals, each of them will handle the matter differently and the consequences will vary greatly.

Drinking Buddies is quite fun at times. The drinking is quite appetizing and the acting is fairly good. I am not a big fan of Olivia Wilde, unlike many I know, but her careless attitude was in line with the character. Sadly the movie doesn't seem to have any message or ideas to pass on to the viewer and the mostly improvised dialogues and weird friendship/relationship dynamics do not help the viewer in seeing any clearer in the midst of all that. We are served a jolly mix of jealousy and awkward situations.

The one good thing, which would have been so easy to do and has been overused way too much in movies, is that it doesn't end up blaming everything on the liquor. Yes they drink, but no, that's not why they act the way they act. Plus no one dies of cirrhosis.

I wasn't really bored seeing Drinking Buddies, but I might have enjoyed it more if I had one of those fine amber ales in my hand. But in the end I felt like I had watched the characters go in circle and nothing really happened. I was hoping to see more about the friendship/relationship border which really seemed to be the core of the movie but no great analysis or dialogue came up.

Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston, respectively Jill and Chris, were both the finest actors and the most interesting characters but sadly had only so little screen time. The music was pretty good though, especially when played on vinyl I feel like it adds something to the scene.

I liked: Refrain from the usual clichés about alcohol. Sufficiently funny.

I disliked: Very stereotypical double-date. Empty of learnings or messages or goals.

58/100
I wouldn't exactly recommend it, but if you decide to see it you will probably not get bored. It has weird dynamics that are played out well.