Aahana Swrup
Andrew DeYoung’s ‘Friendship’ is a unique comedy film where unsettling social dynamics, mounting tension, and cringeworthy spirals translate into a darkly hilarious tale. It revolves around Craig Waterman, a mundane suburban father and husband, who lives a fairly isolated, friendless life. That is, until Austin Carmichael, a magnetic weatherman, moves into the neighborhood. Soon enough, casual acquaintanceship turns into a friendship that becomes the center of Craig’s social life. However, things take a dark turn when one faux pas after another compels Austin to try and gently fade the other out of his life. Thus, the latter’s obsession rears its ugly head, and before the two men know it, their story devolves into a tense nail-biter. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Friendship Plot Synopsis
Craig Waterman is a narcissist with a tedious personality who constantly tries to win people over with humor, regardless of whether or not the situation calls for it. This is most glaringly evident in the story’s introductory scene, which finds the protagonist and his wife, who has been cancer-free for a year, in a support group. While she discusses her struggles from this life-altering experience, her husband attempts to crack self-centered quips to an unamused audience. Thus, things begin to look up when a mail mix-up brings Craig to his new neighbor, the charming Austin. As the two begin spending time together, the corporate tech-worker becomes enamored by the weatherman’s fascinating walk of life.
Soon enough, Austin becomes an intricate part of Craig’s life. He introduces the latter to adventurous mushroom-hunting walks, underground tunnels that lead to exciting places, and even his edgy punk band. Eventually, he even manages to score an invite to a group hangout with the weatherman and his closest guy friends. Things get off to an unfortunate start when the newcomer somehow manages to break a window at Austin’s house. From there, the night only devolves into further disaster as Craig takes a light-hearted boxing match game too seriously and lays into his new friend. His attempts at smoothing things over remain equally disastrous.
Naturally, in the aftermath of the hangout, Craig is left with screened phone calls, only worsened by his unannounced visit to Austin’s workplace. Eventually, the latter tries to let him down by asserting that diverging their paths going forward might be better for them. In turn, Craig remains entirely sideswiped despite the tragic lead-up to the moment. When his pleas for a second chance are ignored, he tries to recreate magical moments from their friendship with other people in his life. Nonetheless, each cheaply fabricated instance results in expected failure. Eventually, Craig convinces his wife to accompany him to the underground Acqueduct, where Tami inevitably gets lost following an argument.
In the aftermath, police begin searching for Tami, while her husband gets put in lock-up for the night for trespassing. Worse yet, he manages to take Austin down with him. This only brings more animosity between them. However, it also leads to an unprecedented moment where the anchorman is forced into a vulnerable corner once the truth about his toupee is revealed in front of Craig. Eventually, Tami returns home, clearly changed by the dark experience. Therefore, shortly after her return, she makes it clear that she intends to leave her husband. As a result, in the months that follow, Craig finds himself at a new low in his life, wherein he has no job, family, or friends. A particularly underwhelming psychedelic trip forces the man to reevaluate his life in prominent ways. Nevertheless, all the progress he makes comes unraveling with an unpleasant reminder of his friendship with Austin. Thus, he inevitably regresses and ends up breaking into the latter’s house with a stolen gun.
Friendship Ending: What is the Meaning Behind Austin’s Wink?
For some time, Craig is able to move on with his life, putting Austin and their disastrous friendship behind him. He gets a new job as a parking enforcement officer and begins paying more attention to his family despite their newfound distance from his life. Miraculously, things are starting to look up for him. That is, until Austin’s new flashy car sends him right back to his old ways. The weatherman’s presence in Craig’s life leaves an indelible mark on him. He’s fascinated by the idea of love and support he witnesses in the other man’s male friendships and wants it for himself. Nonetheless, he’s entirely oblivious to just how unpleasant his volatile anger, forced humor, and self-centered behavior can be.
Therefore, when Craig crashes the party at Austin’s house, he thinks he can simply apologize his way back into the group. He doesn’t realize the actual error of his actions and assumes the group has prematurely misjudged his character. As a result, he ends up demanding a second chance, but while armed with a gun in his hands. Eventually, the weatherman attempts to wrestle the weapon out of his hands. However, a stray bullet gets fired during this tussle, and Austin loses his toupee in the scuffle. His luscious fake hair is a big point of pride for the character’s professional and personal identity. As such, the toupee is a secret he can’t afford to lose.
Craig, for all his shortcomings, knows the importance of this secret. Despite their tense relationship, his idolization of Austin and desire for his friendship remain. For the same reason, he decides to play up his role of a gun-wielding maniac to ensure the other men stay hidden behind counters and furniture. Hence, the weatherman finds enough time to fix his balding secret without anyone noticing. As this unravels, one of the other guests manages to call for help, leading the police to surround the premises shortly thereafter. In the end, Craig finds himself in the back of the cop car, reaping the harvest of his maniacally sown seeds. However, something unpredictable happens during this time: Austin directs a private smile and a wink toward the other man.
Throughout the film, Craig is desperate for validation and appreciation from his peers. Yet, he blindly chases after this sense of community without recognizing his own harmful and toxic treatment of other people. He wants to reap the benefits of friendships and relationships without putting in any actual effort, hoping his nonexistent humor will make up for the deficiencies in his personality. However, when he helps Austin with his toupee secret, he extends an unusually empathetic helping hand. As a result, the other man is inclined toward showcasing his own appreciation for the action through a friendly gesture as they’re parting ways. Although the story ends on this wink, the duo’s relationship doesn’t necessarily have to. Nevertheless, whether it would lead to a gentler start of a genuine friendship or even more unhinged antics from Craig remains up to the audience’s interpretation.
Why was Craig Obsessed With Austin?
Austin and Craig’s friendship gets off to a promising start. Although it isn’t evident at first, the former has the same mix of narcissism/insecurity embedded within him. However, he’s infinitely better at handling it with a mask of charisma. Therefore, he becomes an ideal that the other man can’t help but chase after from their first meeting. Craig lives a grossly lonely life. His marriage is on its last legs, and his relationship with his son, Stevie, drifts further and further away. He has no real friends to speak of, and he spends most of his evenings alone in front of the TV. As such, Austin is a breath of fresh air. The weatherman has a way of bringing out the best in life, at least in the first few days of their friendship.
As such, Austin quickly becomes a blueprint for everything Craig wants to be. He wants to swap out his watered-down takes on pop culture for the weatherman’s interest in history. He’s eager to fill his musicless life with the other man’s punk band. Lastly, he wants the friendship circle Austin has so effortlessly built for himself. However, soon his admiration for the other man turns into a rapid obsession. He daydreams about saving his life and surviving an apocalypse together, forging unbreakable bonds. Ultimately, it’s fantasies like these that fuel his mania. His general unpleasantly volatile personality and flippancy toward others’ feelings have contributed to a profoundly isolating life. Thus, instead of attempting any self-actualization, he begins to view the weatherman and his friendship as an escape route.
Did Tami Leave Craig? Does She End up With Devon?
Tami and Craig’s marriage is headed toward failure from the start. The couple has been together for 16 years and has a son together. Nonetheless, whatever spark led them to attempt a life together has clearly faded out, or perhaps it never existed in the first place. Craig’s self-centered proclivities extend to his own wife, as he’s unable to take anything about her problems seriously. He cracks jokes at a cancer-free support group for couples and generally disregards any complications in his wife’s life. However, while he’s otherwise disinterested in the details of Tami’s life, he remains insecure and jealous about Tami’s growing friendship with her ex, Devon, the firefighter.
Tami never keeps her connection with Devon a secret from her husband. In fact, she remains incredibly forthright about how much his presence in her life post-remission has helped her in her recovery. Nonetheless, Craig continues to overlook this fact right up until it directly affects him. He’s envious of her dinner plans with the man, and he hates his guts for overshadowing his narcissistic speech at Tami’s welcome home party after the Acqeduct debacle. Ultimately, all these piled-up issues reach their limit when the wife finds herself lost in underground tunnels thanks to her unbothered husband.
Therefore, Tami finally decides to leave the toxic marriage. She moves out of their house and temporarily lives in Devon’s pool house. Although it’s never explicitly stated, Craig takes this as a sort of confirmation about their affair. Nonetheless, since we never see Tami’s side of the story, the details about her dynamic with Devon are never revealed. Either way, months after the duo’s separation, when Craig starts to get his life together, opportunity arises for a reconciliation between the two. Nonetheless, his regression into his old psychotic self, which results in an arrest, likely ruins all chances of the same.
Why Does Craig Keep Austin’s Toupee Secret?
Time and time again, Craig repeatedly fails to exhibit simple empathy even for people he’s supposed to care about. He refuses to sympathize with his wife as she’s finding her footing in a post-cancer world. He can’t find any way to connect with his teenage son, who seems to despise him at worst and tolerate him at best. He can’t even strike up a decent connection with his co-workers. For the same reason, his parting act of kindness in helping Austin with his toupee secret leaves a distinct impression. However, this becomes a lot more understandable when one evaluates the two characters based on their similarities rather than differences.
Even though Austin is generally better at socializing than Craig, he is in a unique place that somewhat mirrors the latter’s complications. Much like the lousy husband, the weather is also desperate to be liked. However, instead of humor, he opts for intriguing hobbies and a friendly demeanor as his tools for connection. He has a way of making others feel special in his presence, which in turn fuels his own pleasant identity. On the other hand, Austin also experiences intense insecurity due to his balding. Fortunately, he’s able to cover it up with his toupee in a way Craig can’t cover up his more complicated shortcomings. Therefore, he’s able to recognize the weatherman’s struggle, which compels him to extend a helping hand.
