Earlier this summer, a French film called EDEN was released that explored the DJ culture of the times in a fascinating and heartfelt way that was less about spinning records and more about establishing interesting characters whose lives and fates we actually grew to care about. And while it's usually fairly easy for me to shut out all other films while I'm watching a new one, as I was viewing the rather stale WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS, my mind kept taking me back to the far more interesting Eden. I guess context matters sometimes.
Where WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS fares better is in painting a portrait of "the Valley," or San Fernando Valley, located on the other side of the Hollywood Hills. There's a culture there that seems ripe for exploration and first-time director Max Joseph (who co-wrote with Meaghan Oppenheimer) does a credible job of walking us through this slight obtuse place, as seen through the eyes of would-be DJ Cole Carter (Zac Efron), who has enough raw talent to make it big; whether he's willing to do what he has to do to succeed—including sell out for big money—is another question. The film also does a solid job explaining how much actual composition (via computer) goes into a DJ's track. It's no longer about mixing with two turntables; it's about creating something new out of something old to the point where you don't recognize the elements and only hear the new music.
Last year, I caught the informative documentary UNDER THE ELECTRIC SKY, which opened my eyes a bit to the world that surrounds electronic dance music (EDM) via one of the genre's biggest festivals, Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas (an event that is featured in WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS). The loss of interest in the music is personified by Cole's mentor James (Wes Bentley), an alcoholic superstar DJ who takes Cole under his wing and gives him access to his studio, but encourages him to use real instruments, sounds of nature, and real elements in his music rather than just samples and familiar beats. As in many of his films of late, Bentley quietly steals every scene he's in by just being intense and brooding, and it's been great rediscovering him in the last few years
James trusting Cole also leads to Cole falling for the DJ's assistant/pseudo-girlfriend Sophie (supermodel Emily Ratajkowski from GONE GIRL and ENTOURAGE). Shockingly, the two have a bit of a dalliance, and James isn't happy about it. The film doesn't score many points for originality or unpredictability, especially in scenes involving Cole hanging with his dude-bro Valley friends, who would rather pick a fight about the best sushi place in the area than act like human beings so that their friend's career isn't put at risk. There's also a weird, distracting subplot about the dude-bros getting jobs at a shady real-estate operation run by Paige (Jon Bernthal). There's a life lesson buried in those scenes, I believe, but mostly it just gives Bernthal a chance to play an asshole.
After tragedy hits his life, Cole realizes that he has to make some fairly basic decisions about his future, his music career, and who his friends will be moving forward—decisions that we've essentially made for him at a much earlier point in the story. Efron is a strong enough actor to pull off some of Cole's mental anguish, but there is nothing in the writing that leads us to believe that these are truly tough choices. Ratajkowski is certainly nice to look at, but she finds plenty of moments when she doesn't rely on her looks to carry the scene as well, and she establishes herself well in her first leading role. But too often, WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS feels like an empty film about empty people wanting to be people of substance. It's a worthy goal, but it's uninspiring to watch play out.
