Support Us
Sign Up
That Friend – in keeping with the title – is a movie that director, writer and producer Will Sterling made with a group of lifelong friends. With Alex Wall as a co-director and starring Billie Lourd (Booksmart), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) and Josh Brener (Carry-On) in the leading roles, That Friend is a fun comedy combining two types of trips – one on the road, and one induced by drugs. Guillen plays Paul, a friend who manages to turn one drink into a full-blown bender, who crashes his best friend Henry’s romantic weekend with his new girlfriend Penny, only to unleash chaos when his drug-laced cigarettes disappear into a strangers hands. With strong performances, a stunning summer location and plenty of hijinks, That Friend may not provide a barrel of laugh-out-loud chuckles but entertains nonetheless.
Every friendship group has ‘That Friend’. The one who is always energetic, adventurous, doesn’t stop yapping and isn’t satisfied enough with having a chilled out drink with his buddies. In this film, that’s Paul – a misunderstood and overly cheery individual always looking for fun. With a character like Paul comes high energy, strong entertainment value and an onslaught of crazy situations that ensure That Friend is a fun watch that rarely lets up. As soon as those cigarettes are out of his hands the hijinks ensue, leaving the audience completely unsure of what insane situation will occur next. From crashing parties to winding up in a ladies house making bread, the trio’s weekend is full of surprises. The film is first and foremost a comedy, and although it’s not full of witty, laugh-out-loud moments, it’s consistently fun and there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had from seeing our characters thrust into strange ordeals with a whole slew of interesting, odd people. The road trip aspect elevates this enjoyment further, offering up some stunning sun-soaked locations that ensure That Friend is a perfect summer viewing. Palm Springs has never looked better and more inviting, thanks to cinematographer Michael Amico. A wild ride featuring multiple locations, frolics and bombshells, That Friend ensures its viewers are in for a blast.
That Friend Review: Harvey Guillén Shines in a Charming, Chaotic Comedy That Entertains More Than It Cracks You Up
Harvey Guillén is the perfect actor to play ‘that friend’. With a natural tendency to make you laugh and impactful screen presence that showcases charisma and charm, he steals the screen throughout the entire movie. As strong as he is at providing laughs and a bubbly nature, he also lands those emotional beats well. That Friend works as well as it does due to the balance of comedy and drama, giving more to chew on than just drug-induced carnage. The script explores relationship breakdown, feeling left behind in adulthood and the personality traits we bear that impact many of our relationships throughout life. Guillén’s character Paul has been left behind by many of his peers, who either find him too annoying or have simply moved on with families, kids and jobs. He values his friendship with Henry (Brener), thus causing many issues between the pair as he tries to keep him close and winds up pushing him away more. Henry may be the only true friend he has left, so a lot is riding on that friendship staying strong. Guillén displays these themes perfectly. Josh Brener’s Henry is a slightly awkward and overbearing individual, whose main struggle is putting his all – and more – into romantic relationships. Basically adopting their entire personality and coming on too strong, Paul is seeing him do the same thing with new girlfriend Penny (Lourd), causing the relationship to be quite strained. Brener and Lourd work exceptionally well together, showing with their body language and expressions that their relationship is not as hunky dory as they’re making it out to be. The further the run-time progresses, the more truths are delivered, and the trio deliver the themes and conversations perfectly. Retta (Hit Man), Miles Gutierrez-Riley (Smile 2) and Rose Abdoo (Gilmore Girls) also make notable appearances.
As mentioned, That Friend is more of an entertainer than a laugh inducer, it’s biggest flaw being within that comedy. The hijinks that occur throughout should keep viewers invested enough, with some strong line delivery helping to evoke a giggle or two. However, the humour is very repetitive, and is solely based on one thing – drugs and alcohol. Any time the script wants you to be laughing, it’s because someone is behaving a certain way because they’re intoxicated. Whether they’re oversharing, speeding around the place like a cheetah or simply hallucinating the strangest of visuals, every joke relies on the audience enjoying that level of humour. By the third act of the movie, pretty much every cast member is somewhere on the intoxication scale, forcing it into familiar and recurrent territory. Another speed bump That Friend faces is character likability. The film places Henry at the centre of it all, exploring his relationships with bestie Paul and girlfriend Penny. Despite Brener’s strong turn, Henry is not the most enjoyable of leads to be stuck with. Occasionally dull and frequently pretentious and always miserable, it’s easy to feel a disconnect between yourself and him that may prevent relatability and a capacity to root for his relationships. There is also an argument for Paul – ‘That Friend’ – coming across as grating and annoying.
Balancing heart and humour nicely to create an entertaining watch that boasts staying power due to the ideas explored, That Friend is more than worth a watch. The characters certainly need to be taken with a pinch of salt, and it’s best not to expect belly laughs that similar movies of this ilk provide, but for a sun-kissed romp in the Palm Springs desert, That Friend achieves its goal.
Rating: C+
Follow us on MSN for more content like this.
That Friend
Paul, “That Friend” who turns one drink into a full-blown bender, crashes his best friend Henry’s romantic weekend with his new girlfriend Penny, only to unleash chaos when his drug-laced cigarettes disappear into a stranger's hands.
Release Date: June 8, 2026
Director: Alex Wall Will Sterling
Cast: Harvey Guillén , Josh Brener , Billie Lourd
