Hey folks, Harry here with Augustus Gloop's review of WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS! That's the Zack Efron EDM flick. Augustus Gloop has been a long time reviewer of ours here on AICN. Let's see what he thought of WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS...
Teen idols often burn brightly and then fade quickly. The difference between being a burnout and a star can be determined by the ability to take on roles with more depth. In between filming lighter comedies like Neighbors and Dirty Grandpa, Zac Efron has taken some time for a starring role in a film that surprises with a more serious dose of drama.
We Are Your Friends is a modern LA story with Efron as Cole Carter at the center of a group of post-high school friends living with their parents in the San Fernando valley. Part coming-of-age and part forbidden love, it starts with Cole working for free drinks as a DJ hoping to break into the party scene with his as-yet unfinished hit track. A chance encounter smoking in the alley behind the bar leads him to meet James Reed a world-famous DJ and his idol, who takes him under his wing and helps improve his music.
While his nights are spent living his dream, Cole's days involve working with his friends for Paige (Jon Bernthal) a greasy real estate tycoon who feeds on the blood of people facing foreclosure. As Cole moves deeper into the world opened up to him by James, he is torn between advancing his DJ career and his place as the linchpin holding his group of friends together. As if to highlight Efron's advancement, his character moves on to more serious activities while the antics are left to his friends Mason (Jonny Weston), Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez) and Squirrel (Alex Shaffer). Complicating the situation is his fascination with Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski) James' assistant and lover.
Before seeing it, you would find it easy to dismiss We Are Your Friends as fluff banking on Efron's abs to bring in an audience of teenage girls. Instead, the rated R film by writer/director Max Joseph makes efforts to avoid emphasizing him as a beefcake. "You're going to learn some things can't be undone," is the best advice James has for Cole at a critical point in the film. The mentor/student dynamic with Wes Bentley lacks the intensity (and raw talent) of Miles Teller and JK Simmons in Whiplash, but it has a beating heart that shows Efron has more potential if you look past the perfect Ken-doll exterior.Augustus Gloop
Alright, well that sounds like something more than the trailer made me think.
Keep it cool,
Harry
