You've probably heard the admonition: "Don't peak in high school." Good advice. It's sad to see someone who you can tell was at their coolest and most accomplished in their teens. Take Zac Efron for example. I've come to wonder if, as an actor, he peaked in the "High School Musical" movies. Those productions were mainly inconsequential Disney fluff, but they were fun to watch. Efron has worked steadily ever since (which is more than we can say for most of the other stars from those films) and he has had varying degrees of success with his post-HSM roles (often simply as the brooding hunk). But this is the entertainment business: "What have you done for me lately?" He was miscast as a doctor in the otherwise criminally underrated "Parkland" (2013) and in 2014, he was just annoying in "Neighbors" and in "That Awkward Moment" (which lived up to its title – more so, if it were renamed in its plural form). 2015 sees Efron continue to strive for cinematic relevance in the drama "We Are Your Friends" (R, 1:36).
Contrary to the film's title, the story's mainly about an EDM (electronic dance music) DJ named Cole Carter (Zac Efron), his mentor, James (Wes Bentley), and a love triangle involving James' personal assistant – slash – live-in girlfriend, Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski). Sure, Cole has a group of friends, but they're mainly relegated to background roles. Cole lives in the pool house of his buddy Dustin (Jonny Weston) and they hang out with drug-dealing Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez) and quiet, unhappy squirrel (Alex Shaffer). These four San Fernando Valley California buds get together to enjoy "the world's greatest sushi", talk about their dreams and hopes for the future, and party – a lot. In a half-hearted effort to make bank, all four of them go to work for a suspiciously rich real estate investor (Jon Bernthal), but that move feels to most of the guys more like a step backwards in pursuit of their goals.
Throughout the movie, Cole spends a lot of time with his friends, but his pursuit of his dreams and his relationships with James and Sophie occupy the vast majority of the screen time. James is a rich and in-demand EMD DJ who takes Cole under his wing. James is an arrogant alcoholic, but he does give Cole some good advice – and access to his impressive home studio so Cole can perfect his sound. (Cole's convinced that he just needs one great track to make it big.) Meanwhile, there's a growing sexual tension between Cole and Sophie, who's also unhappy with her life. When Cole and his friends take a trip to a big rave in Las Vegas, where James and Sophie are also headed, certain developments change the equation for some of them. Those characters then have to make decisions that'll change their lives.
You know, you can often tell when a studio knows it has a stinker on its hands. The signs include giving it a title which isn't representative of the story, giving the movie little publicity and making drastic changes to the movie poster late in the game. These all apply to this film, as does the suspicious timing of the movie's release. Why release a youth-friendly made-for-summer movie at the very end of the summer (after many teens have already gone back to school) and in a weekend with very little competition in the way of other feature film releases? Put all that together and you have the movie "We Are Your Friends".
This movie isn't horrible; it's just bad. The focus is unequally divided between the friends mentioned in the title and what the movie is really about. The four friends are lacking in direction, work ethic and, to some extent, morality and often don't treat each other as you'd expect they would. The performances are serviceable, but uninspired and Ratajkowski's presence in the film seems mainly for the purpose of giving us something pretty to look at. (We see "more" of her than at any point since her role in the uncensored version of the "Blurred Lines" music video.) The movie's subplots are contrived and unnecessary, then the climax of the movie plays out as unrealistic and fairly anti-climactic. The script educates the uninitiated about EDM and has some decent life lessons, but also features lines like, "This is my favorite part. Right before everything begins." What does that even mean – that it's all downhill from here?!? (Hmmm. Since the quote appears early in this movie, maybe that IS what it means.) Honestly, I hope that Efron has not peaked. I hate to see anyone fall short of their dreams. Efron is good-looking (even though he's getting a little too old for that haircut) and he does have some talent. Besides, when it comes to succeeding in the entertainment industry, there's more than one way to "Bop to the Top". ("High School Musical 4: Class Reunion" anyone?) As for Zefron's 2015 release, one final word of advice: If people suggest that you get together and go see this movie, those are NOT your friends. "C-"
Contrary to the film's title, the story's mainly about an EDM (electronic dance music) DJ named Cole Carter (Zac Efron), his mentor, James (Wes Bentley), and a love triangle involving James' personal assistant – slash – live-in girlfriend, Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski). Sure, Cole has a group of friends, but they're mainly relegated to background roles. Cole lives in the pool house of his buddy Dustin (Jonny Weston) and they hang out with drug-dealing Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez) and quiet, unhappy squirrel (Alex Shaffer). These four San Fernando Valley California buds get together to enjoy "the world's greatest sushi", talk about their dreams and hopes for the future, and party – a lot. In a half-hearted effort to make bank, all four of them go to work for a suspiciously rich real estate investor (Jon Bernthal), but that move feels to most of the guys more like a step backwards in pursuit of their goals.
Throughout the movie, Cole spends a lot of time with his friends, but his pursuit of his dreams and his relationships with James and Sophie occupy the vast majority of the screen time. James is a rich and in-demand EMD DJ who takes Cole under his wing. James is an arrogant alcoholic, but he does give Cole some good advice – and access to his impressive home studio so Cole can perfect his sound. (Cole's convinced that he just needs one great track to make it big.) Meanwhile, there's a growing sexual tension between Cole and Sophie, who's also unhappy with her life. When Cole and his friends take a trip to a big rave in Las Vegas, where James and Sophie are also headed, certain developments change the equation for some of them. Those characters then have to make decisions that'll change their lives.
You know, you can often tell when a studio knows it has a stinker on its hands. The signs include giving it a title which isn't representative of the story, giving the movie little publicity and making drastic changes to the movie poster late in the game. These all apply to this film, as does the suspicious timing of the movie's release. Why release a youth-friendly made-for-summer movie at the very end of the summer (after many teens have already gone back to school) and in a weekend with very little competition in the way of other feature film releases? Put all that together and you have the movie "We Are Your Friends".
This movie isn't horrible; it's just bad. The focus is unequally divided between the friends mentioned in the title and what the movie is really about. The four friends are lacking in direction, work ethic and, to some extent, morality and often don't treat each other as you'd expect they would. The performances are serviceable, but uninspired and Ratajkowski's presence in the film seems mainly for the purpose of giving us something pretty to look at. (We see "more" of her than at any point since her role in the uncensored version of the "Blurred Lines" music video.) The movie's subplots are contrived and unnecessary, then the climax of the movie plays out as unrealistic and fairly anti-climactic. The script educates the uninitiated about EDM and has some decent life lessons, but also features lines like, "This is my favorite part. Right before everything begins." What does that even mean – that it's all downhill from here?!? (Hmmm. Since the quote appears early in this movie, maybe that IS what it means.) Honestly, I hope that Efron has not peaked. I hate to see anyone fall short of their dreams. Efron is good-looking (even though he's getting a little too old for that haircut) and he does have some talent. Besides, when it comes to succeeding in the entertainment industry, there's more than one way to "Bop to the Top". ("High School Musical 4: Class Reunion" anyone?) As for Zefron's 2015 release, one final word of advice: If people suggest that you get together and go see this movie, those are NOT your friends. "C-"