Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- intimate
- awkward
- quiet evening
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film smart, funny, and bittersweet, with naturalistic direction and strong performances carrying its deliberately low-key relationship drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows coworkers through ordinary brewery shifts, drinking sessions, and social interactions while emotional tensions develop indirectly.
Luke and Kate flirt while both remain involved with other partners, allowing desire to stay unresolved and conversational.
The dialogue and performances create the loose, conversational texture associated with Joe Swanberg’s mumblecore filmmaking.
Luke and Kate’s Chicago brewery is both their workplace and the central space for drinking, flirting, and negotiating boundaries.
Films like Drinking Buddies, and why
Your Sister's Sister
shares mumblecore naturalism, improvised-feeling dialogue, romantic uncertainty, and observational relationship drama
The One I Love
shares low-key independent filmmaking, emotionally evasive adults, and intimate romantic comedy rooted in awkward conversation
Enough Said
shares understated relationship comedy, ensemble chemistry, and bittersweet examination of attraction within existing partnerships
Movie Details
- Director
- Joe Swanberg
- Release Date
- 2013-08-23
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (894)
Cast
- Olivia Wilde
- Jake Johnson
- Anna Kendrick
- Ron Livingston
- Ti West
- Jason Sudeikis
- Mike Brune
- Frank V. Ross
- Michael Gaertner
- Kristin Davis
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Drinking Buddies about?
- At a Chicago brewery, two flirtatious coworkers test the fragile boundary between friendship and infidelity while their relationships quietly strain.
- What is Drinking Buddies like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Drinking Buddies as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Drinking Buddies violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Drinking Buddies.
- What did critics think of Drinking Buddies?
- Critics broadly found the film smart, funny, and bittersweet, with naturalistic direction and strong performances carrying its deliberately low-key relationship drama.
- Which films are like Drinking Buddies?
- Films with a similar feel include Your Sister's Sister, The One I Love, and Enough Said.
- How long is Drinking Buddies?
- Drinking Buddies runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Drinking Buddies?
- In United States, Drinking Buddies streams on Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel.
