How many films about friendship leading to true love have made it to the top of your "best movies" list? Drinking Buddies illustrates the difficulty of bringing this theme to life on screen. Yes, I know fans of romantic comedy absolutely love When Harry Met Sally. But I think that’s the exception to prove the rule. Therefore, I believe writer/director Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs) deserves credit for his courage in deciding to make a dramedy about two friends who work together and develop an attraction for each other despite being in relationships with other people. And for choosing a brewery as the work setting!  He also picked a fine cast including Olivia Wilde (Butter) as Kate, Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) as Jill, Ron Livingston (The Cooler) as Chris, and Jake Johnson (Safety Not Guaranteed) as Luke. Plus, he tried to make scenes realistic by relying on these actors to improvise their conversations. Sadly, the film ends up lacking much in the way of entertainment. The characters may seem real, yet they’re not very interesting. And worst of all, the beer flows but the movie doesn’t.            

Drinking Buddies

boasts lots of beer,

workplace flirting,

and sometimes cheer.

For Kate and Luke

work days seem fun.

And time flies by.

The job gets done.

They tease and play

with food and games.

Forget their loves.

What are their names?

Oh, Jill and Chris,

who might get wise

to feelings hid

but not disguised.

How will it end

for these four chums?

Will true love win

or just leave crumbs?

Too bad this film

moves like a snail.

Without much pep,

it’s hard to hail.

Cast members try

to do their best.

But Wilde excels

above the rest.   

Still, it's this line 

“You want a beer?”

asked so often 

we want to jeer. 

(Released by Magnolia Pictures and rated “R” for language throughout.)

For more information about this film, go to the Internet Movie Data Base or Rotten Tomatoes website.