Nice Michigan guy Tim Robinson is the opposite of his needy character in 'Friendship'
Certain reviews of “Friendship,” the dark comedy starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd that opens May 16 at theaters in metro Detroit, are treating it like a statement on male problems in modern society.
Salon noted that the movie’s director, Andrew DeYoung, “hasn’t just called his audience to look at how they approach their own relationships; he’s created a film that men can see together that demands a discussion afterward.”
The Associated Press described its look at “modern masculinity and male loneliness with biting satire and humor, taking detours into horror and the surreal.” AP advised, “Do us all a favor and see it with your buddies. And if you see a guy there all alone, maybe reach out?”
The New York Times summed it up with the headline: “Are men OK?”
Why do more and more men feel lonely and isolated? Why has the toxic masculinity of braggadocio and bullying been revived by tech bro culture? Why aren’t men OK? Critics may have found some clues in “Friendship,” which explores the catastrophic consequences that ensue when Robinson’s Craig, a socially inept, middle-aged husband and father, becomes instant buddies with Rudd’s Austin, a slick TV weatherman who has just moved into the neighborhood.
But don’t ask Robinson to deconstruct the film for you. When asked whether such deep thoughts went into the making of the film, he politely points out that DeYoung could better address that question.
Then he shares what guided his performance. “It’s just what interests myself and Andy as well ... what makes us laugh and what we’re observing. And it ends up being that. At least on my part, I’m not trying to comment on (those bigger themes). I'm just observing what interests me.”
There are two essential things to know about Robinson, who makes his leading man debut in "Friendship." The first is he's an icon of cult hits. Get ready for catchphrases and memes to emerge from “Friendship,” just as they have from his Netflix sketch comedy series, “I Think You Should Leave."
In fact, Robinson is responsible for one of the great memes of the decade. It's from a "ITYSL" skit where he's dressed in a hot dog costume and trying to avoid responsibility after his hot dog-shaped car crashes into a storefront by saying, "We're all trying to find the guy who did this."
The second thing is this: Although Robinson portrays an excruciatingly awkward character in "Friendship,” which could be the cringiest cringe comedy yet, he seems modest, pleasant and soft-spoken in real life.
Maybe his is the role model we need for contemporary men.
Tim Robinson in a sketch from Netflix's 'I Think You Should Leave.'
The 43-year-old Robinson, who grew up in the Clarkston area, is essentially a regular guy from Michigan in the best sense of that description. He lives with his wife, whom he met in high school, and their two children in California and preserves their privacy as much as possible. He enjoys skateboarding, having dinner with friends (unlike Craig, he has a large group of comedy pals) and following his favorite Detroit sports teams.
“I spend a ton of my free time on Detroit sports,” he says when the topic of the Tigers and their impressive season so far comes up. “I’m so excited. I don’t want to jinx us and I have to knock on some wood. But the Pistons run, the Lions, the Tigers, somethings happened in Detroit and … we’ve gone through some hard times with all of our teams. For this to be happening right now is special, and I’m definitely not going to take any of it for granted.”
The one thing Robinson seems incapable of doing is sounding pretentious about himself or his work.
During a brief phone interview with the Free Press to promote his film, Robinson avoids talking about his comedic process when at all possible. Asked about Vulture’s headline that “Friendship” has “the most Tim Robinson of Tim Robinson characters,” he says he doesn’t have an image in his head of what that even would be. “I don’t. It’s … what makes me laugh. That’s all. I don’t have any mental picture.”
'Detroiters' was a breakthrough for Tim Robinson
Robinson doesn't like to boast, but others do it for him. He has been a favorite among TV writers and his peers in comedy ever since “Detroiters,” the 2017-18 sitcom he created with Sam Richardson, Zach Kanin and Joe Kelly.
Robinson and Richardson, who’s originally from the Motor City, have been best friends since their early improv comedy days in Detroit. After Robinson moved to New York City and became a featured player and writer at "Saturday Night Live," it was “SNL” cast member and future “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis who suggested that he and Richardson, who found success playing jovial political aide Richard Splett on HBO's "Veep," do a TV show together, an idea that led to two glorious seasons of "Detroiters" on Comedy Central.
Filmed in Detroit, the series overflowed with local landmarks, parodies of beloved Detroit commercials and guest spots by heroes of the D. Robinson and Richardson played small-time ad agency reps Tim Cramblin and Sam Duvet — characters that Richardson told the Free Press in 2017 were like “the real Tim and Sam if we were twice as dumb and half as lucky."
Each episode contained affectionate jokes about the city, whether it was retired WDIV-TV anchor Mort Crim's portrayal of a loopy version of himself or gentle jabs at car brands like Chrysler, for which their characters brainstormed the unforgettable slogan "Jesus Chrysler, what a car!!!"
Like many of the show's references, the Chrysler theme hit close to home. Robinson's wife is a Chrysler engineer based in California. His mother worked for several years at the Chrysler training center, while his grandfather was a plant manager at Chrysler's Detroit Forge plant.
“Detroiters” landed on Netflix in October, and Robinson says he can sense the renewed love from fans. “I feel like the show came out at a really hard time at Comedy Central. I think Comedy Central was kind of fizzling. The fact that people are able to watch it now and are discovering it is really nice for Sam and I,” he says.
“And I feel like that friendship in 'Detroiters' is, obviously again, they’re heightened versions, but Sam and I are truly like family members. Sam and I truly do love each other and have that healthy friendship.”
"Detroiters" actors Tim Robinson, left, and Sam Robinson throw the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
In 2019, Robinson took a sharp left from the playful vibe of “Detroiters” with his next series, “I Think You Should Leave," which he created with Kanin. Unlike the endearing Tim Cramblin, Robinson's hapless characters in its skits usually find themselves in embarrassing situations and make them worse by not backing down and descending into epic meltdowns.
Whether it’s an office setting, a birthday party or a driver's education class, “ITYSL” shows Robinson’s creative genius at turning frustrating miscommunication and missed social cues into an art form. In a review of its third and most recent season, a Guardian critic wrote, “I’ve sat through entire seasons of television that haven’t made me laugh as much as ‘I Think You Should Leave’ manages in three minutes. It is an incredible, extraordinary achievement.”
The TV industry seems to agree. In the past three years, Robinson has won three Emmys for “ITYSL,” two of them for best actor in a short form comedy or drama series and one as executive producer of the best short form comedy, drama or variety series.
Tim Robinson and film's director have a friendship of their own
"Friendship" is getting a strong reception, so far ranking more than 90% positive among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Although the movie has a similar weird, hilariously uncomfortable mood to “ITYSL,” Robinson wasn’t involved this time in the script process. The director, DeYoung, who has helmed countless edgy TV comedies, wrote “Friendship” during the COVID-19 pandemic after feeling disappointment at a possible new male friendship that didn’t work out, as he explained to Entertainment Weekly.
“As I wrote, Tim came to mind, and he's a friend, so I started to kind of write towards his strengths, and thankfully, he said yes when I sent it to him," DeYoung told EW, adding that in contrast to Craig, Robinson is “the nicest, kindest man, and so present and attentive and really cares about comedy.”
Robinson and DeYoung have been friends for about seven years "The first time I actually met him was at Connor O’Malley’s wedding,” he says, referring the 2018 vows between writer and comedian O’Malley and “Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant. “We just hit it off. We were both fans of each other. And then a friendship just grew. Now (DeYoung) is one of my closest friends.”
Their meeting is commemorated, in a way, by O’Malley’s appearance in “Friendship” as a party guest who chews out Robinson’s Craig. The role echoes another O’Malley’s guest spot, this one on “Detroiters” as Tim's insufferable brother. Does O’Malley enjoy yelling at Robinson on big and small screens? “I think he does. I think we both enjoy it quite a bit,” says Robinson. “He’s probably the funniest person out here. I feel like nobody makes me laugh as hard as he does. I really enjoy those moments we get to have with each other.”
Tim Robinson, once part of Second City Detroit, was a cast member and later a writer on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
“Friendship” is a mini-masterpiece in terms of illustrating how random, and yet how vital, male bonding can be. In the movie, Craig and Austin spend time together searching for wild mushrooms at one point and sneaking through their town’s sewer tunnels at another. It is only a couple of hours spent together each time, and yet when Craig does something unfortunate that halts the friendship, he spirals into desperate attempts to regain the magic.
A cog in a corporate machine of a company whose job is to make apps more addictive, Craig has grown accustomed to feeling humiliated, which makes meeting — and then alienating — Austin such a traumatic experience for him. Robinson says the insecurity that Craig feels is relatable and not just from distant middle school memories.
”Obviously, Craig is an extreme. It’s extreme for him. But it’s not just growing up. I mean, I’m 43 years old and I feel like we kind of always are kids. ... It’s always the same," he admits. "I still feel like I’m trying to fit in at times. I have trouble with silences in conversations. I don’t think it ever really goes away.”
Off-screen, Robinson is friends with Rudd, whose role as Austin was expanded when he signed on to be in the movie. “We do hang out once in a while, and we usually just go to dinner and talk and laugh and joke around, yeah, chop it up. He’s a great person. I met him back when I was a writer at ‘SNL’ and always have been a fan of his.” He considers Rudd to be ”honestly, a comedy icon.”
Despite his low-key persona and overall politeness, it is tempting to keep searching for things Robinson has in common with Craig. Does he have pet peeves like Craig, who hates Marvel movie spoilers? What sort of things does he find irritating about daily life?
”Oh, wow, I mean, I have a lot,” he says amiably. There’s not like one main one. … There’s not one that dominates me.”
Then he says something about the annoyances he endures, only Robinson is mocking himself, not yelling into the void like Craig or his "ITYSL" characters. “It’s a bed of nails,” he says with a laugh.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at [email protected].
'Friendship'
Rated R; language, drug content
1 hour, 40 minutes
In theaters
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nice Michigan guy Tim Robinson is the opposite of his needy character in 'Friendship'
