With the explosion of EDM over the past five years, it was only a matter of time before a major studio decided to make a full length feature about becoming a DJ. That movie is We Are Your Friends, aptly titled after the popular Justice vs Simian track, and it’s a film that attempts to capture the essence and joy of the EDM scene through the eyes of one DJ trying to find create that one song that’ll take him to the top.
Directed and co-written by Max Joseph, who makes his feature film debut, We Are Your Friends follows a group of California valley boys who are looking to succeed, to escape the valley and hit the big time, ideally by helping and riding on the shoulders of their best friend and aspiring DJ, Cole Carter (Zac Efron). While playing a local club one night, Cole meets James (Wes Bentley), a major DJ and the two have a wild night out, sparking a friendship that eventually leads to an eventual mentorship. At the same time, Cole meets Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski), James’ incredibly hot assistant and girlfriend, and it’s clear there’s an instant attraction. The film follows Cole as he tries to juggle his friends, learn more about producing and becoming a better DJ from James while trying hard not to screw it up because of his romantic interests in Sophie.
Unlike good EDM songs that take you on a journey full of emotional highs and lows, We Are Your Friends doesn’t do that. While many of these songs build to something before the beat drops to get the crowd wild or engaged, Joseph’s film is nearly all a plateau and doesn’t follow the advice that James dishes out to Cole about producing an organic song that could blow up. There was one scene in this film that may have moved the audience, and thank god it was there because then this movie would have been advocating a lot of bad habits.
If you imagine every trope, every possible stereotype of the EDM culture, this film has it. It is the poster child for what the entire scene is like and about, for better or for worse. It also means the film has some amazing music. The soundtrack is terrific and is the culmination of a bunch of different artists including Carnage and Will Sparks. The music also leads to my other favorite part of the film, a scene where Cole is tripping on PCP. The editing and visuals here take the music and melt you into a colorful world of emotional vibrancy. It’s an awesome technique to show you what a lot of people feel and express when they are rolling and experiencing music without any other care in the world. It is the best scene in the movie from a creative standpoint.
We Are Your Friends, unfortunately, doesn’t have a lot going for it and, unless you are under the age of 30 or are really into EDM, this isn’t something for you to waste your money on seeing. The script, acting, and execution are uninspired and it feels more like a cash grab on a trend than a film trying to make something unique utilizing the EDM scene as a tool. Even those that are into the scene should probably wait for it to hit home video before giving it a whirl, the theater isn’t necessary unless you want a great surround sound audio experience thanks to the excellent soundtrack that compliments the mediocre, at best, film.
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