Like many people, I first became aware of Robinson via “I Think You Should Leave,” a sketch comedy series that premiered on Netflix in 2019. Without knowing much about the show, I gave it a try and found myself in near-hysterics right from the first episode. While most people classify “I Think You Should Leave” as “cringe” comedy (and indeed, even the press materials for “Friendship” play up the idea that the film is bringing the cringe humor of “I Think You Should Leave” to the big screen), I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate. I say that simply because I traditionally do not care for cringe humor — it makes me so uncomfortable that I end up feeling bad rather than amused. And yet, that doesn’t happen with “I Think You Should Leave.” The humor within the series is strange — surreal, subversive, deranged. It’s outlandish and bizzare, but in a way that has me laughing so hard tears start forming in my eyes (that’s not hyperbole; when I first watched the “Karl Havoc” sketch from season 2, in which Robinson dons an unconvincing disguise, I was laughing so hard I really began to cry).
Robinson didn’t get his start on “I Think You Should Leave.” He performed with the Second City improv and various other live comedy acts before moving into TV. After filming a Comedy Central pilot that was never picked up, Robinson eventually landed a featured performer gig on “Saturday Night Live” before moving from performing to the show’s writing staff. In 2017, Robinson co-created the series “Detroiters,” which he co-starred in along with fellow creator Sam Richardson. The series lasted two seasons. Finally, it was “I Think You Should Leave” that helped put Robinson’s name in the collective consciousness. The series, with its endlessly quotable sketches, has garnered a huge, cult-ish following and completely invaded the zeitgeist, as evident by the fact that the sketch that has Robinson wearing a hot dog costume and stating “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this!” has become a catch-all meme.
But all of this is housed within the realm of TV and streaming. Robinson has had movie roles before — he voiced the Ugly Sonic in the hilarious “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” movie, for instance. But “Friendship” is his first time acting as the leading man of a movie. And I have to wonder: is a wider, non-TV audience ready for that? To be clear: I don’t think anyone, not even the folks at A24, expect “Friendship” to be some sort of box office juggernaut. But I’m very curious to see how (and if) Robinson’s brand of weirdo humor — which is on full display in the trailer, even though Robinson didn’t write the film itself (director Andrew DeYoung did) — plays with moviegoers. It might not, but I know I’m all-in on this film, and can’t wait to see it when it arrives in theaters sometime in May.