Review: Drinking Buddies (Joe Swanberg, 2013)

Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson (perfectly cast) star as Kate and Luke, inseparable friends and co-workers who could be more. Their respective personal lives – Luke is discussing marriage with his long-time girlfriend, while Kate is in the midst of another relationship that looks set to fail – and their many a shared beer, complicate matters, however. Joe Swanberg’s observant, funny, relatable and quite brilliant comedy/drama intricately examines male-female friendships, the everyday behaviour of likeable white middle class individuals and the emotional strain that stems from their various relationships.

I believe that Drinking Buddies is the first film from the prolific writer/director, who has made cameo appearances in several films this year, to screen here in Australia. A big shout out to the team at the Possible Worlds Festival of Canadian and American Cinema for bringing the film to the 2013 program. I hope it receives a cinema release so more people can see this exceptional film. If you enjoyed Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister, which stars Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt, I feel you will adore Drinking Buddies.

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