Drinking Buddies – 2013, starring Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson,…

I decided to have a “me” day and get some things done around the house, then spend my evening watching a good movie. I must have started five different ones but nothing was “hitting” me. Scrolled through Hulu and what do I see, “Drinking Buddies”. Well, I love Jake Johnson! I found him because of “New Girl” and honestly, he was my favorite character on the show as Nick. Ok, I probably developed a bit of a “movie star crush” because he is the type that I would go for – brown hair, brown eyes, manly, funny, and loveable.

Back to the movie review…. I have always enjoyed watching movies that portray a group dynamic and how they relate to different people. This movie did not disappoint! First, watch the preview so you can get a feeling for who is who. You will see that Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) are best friends that work at the same brewery and have dreams of opening their own bar together. Jill (Anna Kendrick) is Luke’s girlfriend and Chris (Ron Livingston) is Kate’s boyfriend.

Ok, so in the preview, you are wondering if Luke and Kate are hooking up or if there is going to be a group thing or what… I am personally giving this movie 5 out of 5 stars because I loved it so much! My brief review is below before I get in to the notes I took (I’m weird like that).

The interesting thing about this movie is that it was completely improvised. The actors did not have any scripts but were given an outline of basically what direction to take the characters. To me, not only does this prove how incredible these actors truly are, but it makes the movie so much more believable. You can feel the reactions on their faces, experiencing the joy they are going through or confusion as they are trying to figure out what to say. The camera just seems to weave in and out of conversation, around people, goes closer to get particular expressions, but also pans back to give you a sense of the room. You truly feel that you are there with these characters as they talk and laugh and even the background noise feels authentic, not forced or added in. Since this movie was filmed at a brewery in Chicago, they were drinking actual beer and spent a lot of time drunk, which added to the realness of their conversations.

Go ahead and admit it… We’ve all been there ~ We have had a work crush. If you have a significant other, don’t ask them, because it is in their best interest (and yours), so they are going to deny it. At one time or another, we have had that one person that makes going to work just a bit more fun, you might even dress a bit nicer because of them. It’s not like you are ever going to do anything about it, you just look forward to seeing them. Or, maybe they aren’t really a work crush but someone that would be referred to as your “work husband / wife / spouse”. They are the ones that you can complain to about work and they understand what you are talking about. You two have an easy rapport and you can joke, fight, make up, remember their favorite candy bar… You know the one. It’s the one at work that makes you feel like you are special. And why is that? Because you don’t have home responsibilities together, which we all know can put some stress on a relationship. Anyways, that’s Luke and Kate. They are each other’s work spouses and they get along great! If you don’t have one of these at work, it will make you wish that you had one. The problem with this is, they took their friendship outside of work and that is where problems can start.

MOVIE QUOTES

Kate: You made your own bed, alright? Luke: Yeah, and you fucking slept in it. Kate: Well, you didn’t stop me.

Kate: it’s good, it has just enough room for me and my imaginary cat.

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.

Chris: Sometimes things that are really hard can be really rewarding because they’re hard, you know

Luke: By the way, I’m not doing anymore double dates either. This was fun.

Chris: I don’t think that this is working. I think eight months is enough time to know whether this is going to work.

Kate: Tonight, no one is going home to their significant other because I no longer have one.

MY NOTES & OPINIONS

When Kate and Luke are at the bar with the other co-workers having a great time, you can see the change on Kate’s face when Jill comes in that she no longer has them all to herself, and that Luke is happy to see Jill.

Kate heads over to Chris’s after drinking with her work boys and reaches in to his plate with her fingers to grab a bite. You can tell that he does not care for that type of behavior, but she doesn’t seem to notice, even when he gives her the plate of food to eat.

Chris goes to bed early and Kate is laying in bed listening to Luke and Jill playing 21, the game Luke taught Kate earlier in the day. I think there is a bit of jealousy there as she can hear them laughing and just genuinely having a good time, as a couple.

Their first morning at the cabin, Chris suggests going for a hike and only Jill wants to go. As they are walking, you kind of come in mid conversation but assume they are talking about their significant others and it feels like Chris is surprised that someone like Kate would want him.

Jill is sitting on the blanket with Chris, and he appreciates her upscale ways. She tells him how she feels her heart racing and that she is nervous. He ends up kissing her which makes me realize that there was an unspoken energy going on between the two of them and their conversation while walking must have been very intimate. During this time, it is showing scenes of Luke and Kate playing cards, opening beers, just laughing and having such a great time.

After Jill passes out on the couch, Luke and Kate go and build a bonfire on the beach and Kate suggests going for a swim and she starts stripping down. Luke says no and I’m watching him hoping that he’s going to be a good man, because let’s be honest, Olivia Wilde would be a hard one to turn down. But, he does. He stays by the fire drinking his beer. I had a lot of respect for him in that moment.

Kate and Chris have broken up which makes Luke a bit nervous. She was safe to flirt and have fun with as long as she had a boyfriend, but now that she is single, I think he realizes that she is no longer “safe”, and it shows in his attitude at the bar when he says he’ll drive her home, almost as if he’s turned in to the big brother.

Jill seems to take a pause in her thoughts when Luke tells her that Kate and Chris have broken up. And you have to wonder what exactly is going through her mind… Is she thinking that Chris is more her type ~ educated, not wanting to stay out at bars late, deep thinker… Or is she worried that Kate and Luke will get together since their chemistry is pretty obvious?

Kate and Luke’s relationship really changes when he finds out that she went home with another guy. I’m sure there is a bit of jealousy. Kind of, “If I can’t have her, I don’t want anyone else to.”

Kate goes by Chris’s apartment after drinking, and he reiterates that they are broken up and not meant for each other. It seems to me that she doesn’t like to be alone and is used to her charm working on men.

Jill goes to Costa Rica with her friends (I think she was going away with Chris) and so Kate and Luke spend the evening together drinking and laughing. I was not thrilled with the massages or sleeping on the couch together. I think that showed a lack of respect on Luke’s part, but I think in his immaturity, he thought that they were just friends, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Kate tells Luke that she is moving and needs to move the next day, so he offers to help. When they get to her house, he is shocked to find that it is such a mess and that she has had birthday decorations and cups laying around for quite awhile, which she seems unfazed by. He falls asleep after getting the majority of work done and Kate stands there watching him. Instead of going to the couch, she snuggles in behind and puts her arm around him. I think she is so desperate for closeness, that even that will work for her. I really felt for her in that moment.

The next day, Luke is acting like his normal self, in full on friend / brotherly mode and goes to get the Uhaul and Kate seems to be very attracted to this, which I totally get. As a single woman, it is sometimes nice when a man takes charge and helps you with these things, especially when you don’t have to ask. She is probably also seeing it as how they are doing “couple” things and that this is how it could really be. But, when he cuts his hand on a nail, she is kind of blowing it off and saying how they need to move the couch. Luke snaps at her and Kate’s body language shows that there is a change in them. No longer is she able to charm him and be very blase, he is in real pain and is shown trying to take care of himself. She doesn’t try to help him rinse it or know where anything is, just seems very uncaring and more concerned for herself. Kate says she will calls someone that can help and it ends up being the guy that she slept with, and of course she is just charming and saying all the things she would have to Luke. When the moving is done, Luke reminds her that they were going to clean up so they could go and have a nice meal to celebrate. That no longer sounds like fun and she wants to go drinking with the guys. She starts yelling at him and I think she is doing that to protect herself and come off as not caring about Luke at all.

Luke heads home to find out that Jill came home early from her trip. When she sees his hand, she automatically goes in to caretaker mode and that shows how those two are so different. I think that somewhere in Luke’s mind, he was thinking that Kate might be fun because she likes to party. But, after seeing Kate’s chaotic home life, he sees in Jill what he really wants ~ a help mate, someone that keeps him grounded and takes care of him. Jill is honest and tells Luke about the kiss and admits that it was a mistake. In that instant, I think that Luke realizes what he could have lost, and pulls her in for a kiss and a long hugg.

The last scene is Kate and Luke during lunchtime at work. Whereas they always had lunch together, it shows Kate eating alone. Luke comes in, still sits down next to her, but they don’t speak and it’s an uncomfortable silence. But, she slides fries over to him and when he starts eating them, she smiles.

The great thing about the ending is that while it left me wanting more, it lets the viewer imagine what the continuing story would be. I would like to think that Kate and Luke do remain friends, but there is a bit of a distance between them now, knowing how close they were to cross the line. Because once you cross it, you can never go back to being normal.