Drinking Buddies
Drinking Buddies Image
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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

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  • Starring: , , , , ,
  • Summary: Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They're perfect for each other, except that they're both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years. Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend Chris. But you know what makes the line between "friends" and "more than friends" really blurry? Beer.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    Aug 22, 2013
    100
    Drinking Buddies, Joe Swanberg’s nimble, knowing and altogether excellent new film, refuses to dance to the usual tune.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    Aug 29, 2013
    88
    It's a meandering film that prompts the viewer to anticipate characters' actions. Fortunately, they don't take predictable paths.
  3. Film.com
    Reviewed by: William Goss
    Apr 23, 2013
    82
    In a film about how hard it is to know what you want, and then to express it, Swanberg gets to the heart of the matters of the heart with disarming doses of both charm and wisdom.
  4. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Ben Kenigsberg
    Aug 21, 2013
    75
    The entire film unfolds in a recognizable register of ominous hesitation; the results are a bit schematic but nevertheless hit on something real.
  5. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Sep 5, 2013
    75
    All the actors are strong, but Wilde is particularly good as the impetuous Kate, who doesn’t realize how incredibly selfish she has become. The actress’ great beauty could have been a distraction, but her performance is so complex and alive that she blends right into this world of ordinary, working-class people with modest aspirations who are trying to find happiness but often go about it in all the wrong ways.
  6. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    Sep 6, 2013
    70
    Citing Chekhov at this early time in Swanberg's career may be unfair, but an amiable movie like Drinking Buddies cried out for the revelations that a great dramatist--or even a talented screenwriter and director working together--can give us. [9 Sept. 2013, p.90]
    All this critic's reviews
  7. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Odie Henderson
    Aug 23, 2013
    25
    Watching Drinking Buddies is like being the designated driver for a most uninteresting bunch of drinkers.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. SimpleMethod
    Aug 31, 2013
    8
    Solid acting from the four leads, but it sagged in a few places. It was an interesting story, the writing was solid, but I wasn't thoroughly engaged throughout. But it was still enjoyable and unique, at least.… Expand
  2. MarkDetrel
    Sep 20, 2013
    8
    Drinking Buddies is one of the biggest sorprises of this year, the story could be familiar, but the development is really great (ok, sometimes falls into the known), the script is really smart, and the performances are wow, incredible, Anna Kendrick, Olivia Wilde, Jake M. Johnson and Ron Livingston do a good job. Great movie.… Expand
  3. hoops2448
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    I had an inkling on how Drinking Buddies was going to end going in but being right didn't mean I didn't enjoy the overall experience because I did. In fact its a smart and well directed film with a fresh improvised style that makes the film performances shine so much that it ultimately didn't matter how the film ended, the ride was enough. The film follows best friends Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) who work at a Chicago brewery together. When Kate and Luke introduce each other to their respective partners things start to change for these two friends even though they don't realize it is happening. Director Joe Swanberg, uses his unique filming and story telling techniques to bring new life to a story as old as time. While an unrequited love story is my Kryptonite, Drinking Buddies is the anti rom-com, rom-com as it isn't concerned with the trivial questions of who ends up with who, it's a tale of life not just for Kate and Luke but everyone. It's a story of personality, how these people interact with each other, warts and all. Joined by Anna Kendrick as Luke's partner Jill and Ron Livingston as Kate's partner Chris. Kendrick turns in yet another stand out performance as a supposedly chilled out yet secretly neurotic girl seeking more from Luke, a man with a serious commitment phobia. Livingston is an unexpected touch but an excellent choice none the less. The real highlight though is Olivia Wilde who proves her worth after a slew of bad film appearances (Cowboys and Aliens, Ultimately a film like this doesn't come along very often despite Swanberg's impressive film turnout over the last 9 years and we should embrace it for what it is, a heartfelt look at the frustrating nature of man and their ability to miss the simplest of things. While a little long it all comes down to your personal taste as the film is all about the little things, the small inconsequential moments that make up a persons life. If that's not your thing thats fine but if it is your going to love it.… Expand
  4. BrianMcCritic
    Aug 25, 2013
    6
    This is a solid film based on the strong chemistry between the four leads. Unfortunately I felt that there was just something missing when it came to getting a good feel for the characters. B-… Expand
  5. Thegodfatherson
    Aug 23, 2013
    5
    'Drinking Buddies' is a lethargic look at what happens when platonic friends tip-toe the line between friendly and flirty; that they drink is merely a device in which we're given to understand their commonplace. While the plot is essentially aimless for the first three-quarters of the movie, the actors hold your attention by slowly and gently stroking the tension, which comes to a head when Johnson's Luke helps Wilde's Gate move between Chicago apartments. Ultimately, the stars of 'Drinking Buddies' give us some fun-enough characters to hang out with for 90 minutes. The true feelings and prerogatives of the main characters are reserved but for a few meaningful moments, of which many are apparent to the audience only. Despite (and perhaps because of) the creative control the actors were given in terms of improvised dialogue, there's a lot of people not saying what they're thinking in this movie. It's that frustrating passive aggression that makes this film feel as authentic and at times as too-close-to-home hitting of any of Swanberg's films to date.… Expand

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