Cast: Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Josh Segarra

Directed By: Andrew DeYoung

Studio: A24

Release Year: 2025

Runtime: 97 minutes

Rated R

Audio Description Produced By: Deluxe

Written By:

Narrated By: William Michael Redman

What Is it?:An obnoxious human being (Robinson) meets his new neighbor (Rudd), and after a night of seemingly enjoyable shenanigans, ends up taking their friendship way too far.

What Works: Paul Rudd is perfectly cast here, and helps balance out the film. he’s just so intensely genial that everyone can easily get along with him. He’s a weatherman in the film, who aspires to move from the night to the morning shift, and knows his personality is what will get him there. He is presented as relatable, just funny enough without being over the top, and even when the film leans on him as the villain of the moment, he still comes off looking great. Depending on how you view the film, Rudd might be the hero of this story.

there are some funny bits throughout, so the natural feel for humor is present, but it also occasionally pushes outside the realm of probability or repeats itself. it wants to be high and low brow. It wants to appeal to the typical A24 crowd, while also trying to rope in guys who think we haven’t made a real comedy since The Hangover. Most comedies throw a lot at the wall, and not every joke sticks for every person anyway. But the films identity certainly makes it feel like a broader, more scattershot approach to laughter.

I related to both sides of this. I felt like in some interactions I’ve definitely been the Tim Robinson. I’m positive I’ve inserted myself into an existing friend group at least once, to sheer and utter failure. I also have been Paul Rudd, watching someone try to enter an established friend circle, and fail miserably. It was a nice self reflective, relatable journey for me personally.

What Doesn’t Work: They make an odd choice with Tim robinson’s character to make him an irredeemable idiot.The problem with that is he has a wife and teenage son, and somehow they got to that point. The decision to never give him a moment of honesty or reflection, which isn’t punctuated by an attempt at a punchline drags down what is otherwise a fun comedy. Even something like happy Gilmore, where Adam Sandler alpha males his way through a sport he can’t play, screams at everyone, and punches Bob Barker in the face, is peppered with toned down moments. He’s given a grandmother he cares about, and the whole reason he’s playing golf is to get her home back. And, when Julie Bowen’s love interest finally agrees to go out with him, he shows a softer, more sensitive side on the ice rink. Even Adam Sandler in 1996 understood that you need balance.

This film doesn’t have that. At no point is Robinson ever painted as normal, thoughtful, contemplative, or empathetic to anyone around him. no matter the opportunity presented, he ruins every and all opportunity to give his character another shade. And this film needed that, so much. So very much.

The problem is that the catalyst for this nightmare is friendship, but even with that, Robinson is still an ass before spending time with Rudd. It’s amazing he has a wife, and he’s so obnoxious, it demeans Kate Mara’s performance, because it’s almost like she’s in an abusive relationship and can’t leave. Except he’s not hitting her, or even intentionally being emotionally abusive. He’s just so profoundly socially awkward and dumb that he can’t function.

Sure, you can praise Tim Robinson for his commitment to humor, but a few scenes that showed him as a normal husband and father, that didn’t go for a punchline, would have made the film far more rewarding when he spirals into madness.

The Audio Description: Redman isn’t my first choice for a comedy, because his time spent doing this could be better spent making a horror film or a thriller film sound more intense. However! yes, there is a however. Because Robinson is playing a near clinically insane individual, there’s a darkness here that pulls it into the realm of the kind of comedy the ton in his voice compliments. it’s like the occasional project that isn’t a straight horror, thriller, or action, but has elements that bleed over in ways that his voice adds this crazy undercurrent to Robinson’s actions, highlighting how unhinged he is. Plus, the humor is well described, as Robinson does everything from walk through plate glass to eating soap. There’s also odd specificity so his expressions, or little ways he does something like no one else does. A scene where he smokes a cigarette with Paul Rudd on a rooftop is highlighted by robinson’s character clearly having no idea how to do this.

You Might like it If: i would have liked it more if they had balanced Robinson out. Still, it is funny, and original. It’s a theatrical comedy, and those seem oddly hard to come by nowadays. And, Paul Rudd fans will love this. He comes off looking great, even when he’s not supposed to.

Why You Might Not Like it: Robinson is grating. even if you’re a fan of his Netflix show, the act gets old. Comedians making the jump from short form, or stand up, to the big screen often forget they need levels. It’s like Carrot Top’s big screen debut, chairman Of The board, where they understood carrot top was funny at the time, but they had no idea how to make that work in feature length.

Final thoughts: In what most audiences assume is a Tim Robinson movie, it is Paul Rudd who steals the show, mostly due to the obstinance in allowing Robinson to have a diverse personality. Robinson’s too caught up in making you laugh, he forgot to layer his character with complex personality traits.

Fresh: 6.5/10