Drinking Buddies (2013)

Luke and Kate are coworkers at a brewery who spend their nights drinking and flirting heavily. One weekend away together with their significant others proves who really belongs together and who doesn't.

Director:

Joe Swanberg

Writer:

Joe Swanberg

Stars:

Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Olivia Wilde	...	Kate
Jake Johnson	...	Luke
Anna Kendrick	...	Jill
Ron Livingston	...	Chris
Ti West	...	Dave
Jason Sudeikis	...	Gene Dentler
Mike Brune	...	Mike
Frank V. Ross	...	Frank
Michael Gaertner	...	Man w / Fiance
Kristin Davis	...	Fiance
Jim Cibak	...	Jim
Alicia Van Couvering	...	Amy
Michael Zeller	...	Eli
Joe Swanberg	...	Angry Car Guy

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

brewery | co worker | u haul truck | woman wearing a string bikini | male female friendship | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about knowing when to say when.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drinking Buddies

Filming Locations:

Empty Bottle Bar, 1035 N Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,505 (USA) (23 August 2013)

Gross:

$342,936 (USA) (15 November 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burn Later Productions, MJW Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anna Kendrick is actually drunk in the drinking game scene that takes place in the cabin. This particular scene was the last thing that needed to be filmed that day, so Kendrick and Jake Johnson decided to use real alcohol instead of the prop alcohol provided. Because the movie is entirely improvised, this gave the actors more control over the scenes - in this case, Johnson's character is in charge of the game, so Johnson decided to make Kendrick drink more.

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Goofs

When Kate and Luke were making up during lunch break at work the day after her move, Luke's 'badly' cut hand was suddenly back to normal. Discovered by my princess Julie.

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Quotes

Kate: That's the problem with heartbreak, to you it's like an atomic bomb and to the world it's just really cliche, because in the end we all have the same experience.

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Crazy Credits

The title of the movie only appears in the ending credits and Jason Sudeikis's character 'Gene Dentler' is credited as 'Himself'.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.190 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Lady Luck
Written by Richard Swift
Performed by Richard Swift

User Reviews

Delightful, breezy slice of life

I've been highly anticipating this in the hopes that it would be this year's Celeste & Jesse Forever and it didn't disappoint at all: it's more light-hearted and less penetrative, but has the same keen eye for relationship dynamics, sly humor, realistic characters and fantastic soundtrack. It's the most true-to-life romantic comedy I've seen in years. The characters were so relatable, totally reminded me of people in my life, and Joe Swanberg doesn't need plot twists or external drama to push the story along because it unfolds so naturally through the character interactions and developments.

It doesn't dig very deep into its characters, but I felt that was accurate and appropriate: we don't know much about the characters because they don't let people get to know them. Daily interactions are shallow, jokey; the deep conversations and self-revelations only really happen at 4am by a bonfire after a few drinks. I think the film would have been much worse if it had a Katherine-Heigl-movie moment of all the characters spilling their feelings and wants and grievances to each other because that is not how life goes - at least not for these people.

Olivia Wilde is outstanding and while it's not the powerhouse role I've been waiting for her to take on, it does further establish her as an impressively natural and charismatic talent simply in need of the right roles. She's hilarious and buoyant and handles her dramatic moments - however fleeting or quiet - with expert skill. Jake Johnson was the perfect match for Wilde as they have incredible chemistry and their charming banter keeps the movie energized. Anna Kendrick basically plays herself, but she's very good, as is Ron Livingston with a curiously enigmatic performance.

It won't appeal to everyone, because as it is so realistic, not much happens. It's more focused on the almosts and the might-have-beens than the happeneds. But it's so delightful, funny, observant, and coyly ambiguous, I really hope people give it a chance. It's not going to revolutionize cinema or anything but it has an authenticity, spark and lively wit that the genre generally eschews in favor of saccharine clichés and melodramatic crying scenes.