Drinking Buddies (2013)

Chris: "I think Camus wrote about Sisyphus pushing the boulder up, you know, the hill? And he always pictured him smiling? You know, as opposed to a punishment thing, and I feel that sometimes things that are really hard can be...can be really rewarding because they're hard, you know?"

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

I had a very mixed mind about this film, both after watching it and even before watching it, after reading Tumor's review on it. In general I enjoy films that focus on the nuances of relationships, and I get a special voyeuristic pleasure out of such films too.

In this film Kate and Luke are two co workers who have a very friendly and flirty relationship. You get the feeling that they are far more at ease with one another than they are with their respective significant others. Chris, Kate's wealthy and "sophisticated" boyfriend invites Luke and his girlfriend Jill for a couples' weekend retreat at a cabin near the beach. As weekend retreats are wont to be, the close setting magnifies all the flaws in each of the relationships, and it grows clearer that Chris and Jill have far more in common, much like Kate and Luke. After some swimming, picnicking, and a stolen kiss, the harmony of each of the relationships are indelibly altered.

What Drinking Buddies excels at is depicting the minute ways in which infidelities can occur, and instead of focusing a judgmental eye on these things, it simply shows something most people already know at some level--which is that emotional intimacy is something that only takes the right atmosphere and moment to develop--and that when it develops between two people who are in relationships with other people, it can start making them reevaluate their relationships--and in some cases, can cause the relationship to end or can make it stronger. When I first watched this film I was very confused about the ending--the characters never vocalized, or at least only vocalized in euphemistic ways their feelings for one another and many times their actions were almost purposely, I think, obscured. Do Kate and Luke ever sleep together? Do Jill and Chris meet up and have a week together? Does it even matter?

In terms of this film, it seems almost indelicate to hypothesize over these actions because they are done in a rather conditional and experimental way. The feeling we get is that the couples fell out of sync and instead of realizing that, they are intrigued by new people, without ever wondering why or what it is their current relationship lacks. As such, their actions are much like the actions of the classic rebound-relationship trope. I was pleasantly surprised by the film's conclusion as the characters seemed to have developed an awareness of the situation and there were no finger pointing or dramatic accusations of infidelity, as the issue was far more complex than a kiss or the on-going sexual tension between Kate and Luke, for example.

For some, and for me, initially, the film's reticence to neatly explain or explore the consequences of being attracted to someone else's partner and the sometimes fluid borders between platonic/romantic feelings, was a positive note. The characters themselves as even we may be in real life did not know how to react or what the best course of action was. In the end, however, we see Luke and Jill make a choice to remain with one another, preserving their warm and functional six-year relationship despite acknowledging that they do have chemistry with other people. And we understand.

53/100
Better than your average romantic-comedy but only marginally. Kudos however for the attempt at discussing a complex and underdiscussed issue.