Movie Review - Drinking Buddies

Drinking Buddies ** (R) Such a fine cast. Such a bland script by the guy who also directed. Thus did someone named Joe Swanberg waste the considerable talent and appeal of Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston, Anna Kendrick and Jake Johnson in this severely understated romantic dramedy. Wilde’s career has flourished since her showcase role as ‘13" for the latter half of TV’s terrific series, House. Livingston memorably starred in the cult fave Office Space. Kendrick landed an Oscar nomination among many accolades for her supporting performance in Up in the Air. Johnson is currently thriving opposite Zooey Deschanel in the hit sitcom New Girl. All wound up slumming in this vehicle.

Wilde and Livingston are lovers; Johnson and Kendrick are semi-engaged. Wilde and Johnson are playful buddies at the microbrewery where they work. The two couples spend a weekend in a lakeside cabin owned by Livingston’s family. Some cross-pollination may or may not occur among some or all of the players. Both relationships are affected afterwards, but we learn little about the causative events or the underlying personalities of the principals.

Romance can be baffling and frustrating in real life. Movies about it should be less opaque. Or at least more interesting. Swanberg, whose resume includes studies at SIU-Carbondale and a slew of low-profile indie films on both sides of the camera, owed this cast and its audience - especially fans of his stars - a more engaging, if not insightful, product. (9/27/13)