Aside from the inherent discomfort of filming two total strangers in public, the video’s instant, massive popularity indicated that Padilla captured something in the culture. (Though, something must be said about iPhone camera quality being so bad in 2016 that you can’t make out any faces. Perhaps these hot-tubbing gents were mere conduits for a message that begged to be delivered — vessels of God, if you will!) The fact is: Men have trouble pursuing friendships. And when they do, they fear vulnerability and judgment. Studies have shown that men have far more difficulty than women when it comes to forming close relationships, especially with other men. In 2021, the Survey Center for American Life found that 27% of men say they have six or more close friends, and even more shockingly, 15% of American men say they have no close friendships at all. This problem has been persistent for years. In 2013, friendship scholar Geoffrey Greif told Salon that, if men hang out, they’re more likely to do activities than have conversations; “shoulder-to-shoulder” relationships versus “face-to-face” bonds.
While the male friendship recession is no laughing matter, Andrew DeYoung’s new film “Friendship” explores the phenomenon to reveal all of its anxious, hysterical customs. Starring the brilliant pairing of Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, the movie burrows into a burgeoning friendship between two adult men toiling in suburbia, planting a bundle of “Looney Tunes” dynamite in their dynamic. The explosion happens in slow motion, allowing viewers to gawk at all of DeYoung’s shrewdly constructed, cinematic shrapnel. “Friendship” is as much of a comedy as a horror show, a singular and vital cautionary tale for the modern age designed for real-life implications.
