Recently both Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick have been enjoying their successes in comedies. Johnson was seen earlier this year in The Pretty One , while Anna Kendrick had mainstream box office success with Pitch Perfect . This time around the two are in the ensemble comedy Drinking Buddies .
Making up the comedy alongside Kendrick, and Johnson, is Olivia Wilde and Ron Livington. For minimalist mumblecore director (think The Duplass Bros), Joe Swanberg is changing the pace a bit for his new comedy that had its debut at South by Southwest Film Festival back in March.
The official synopsis of Drinking Buddies is as follows:
“Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) work together at a craft brewery. They have one of those friendships that feels like it could be something more. But Kate is with Chris (Ron Livingston), and Luke is with Jill (Anna Kendrick). And Jill wants to know if Luke is ready to talk about marriage. The answer to that question becomes crystal clear when Luke and Kate unexpectedly find themselves alone for a weekend.”
Drinking Buddies both sounds and looks like a fun summer movie experience. That fun seemed to have translated naturally on screen from the fun off set. Jake Johnson told The Daily Beast that the cast and crew definitely had one good time on set.
Jake Johnson said of the Drinking Buddies shoot:
“We were actually drinking while shooting. All the beers were real, and this is high-alcohol-content beer, not Miller Lite, so before you know it you’re pretty lit up! Anna is one of the bigger lightweights I’ve ever been around.”
A far cry from his romantic roots in The New Girl , Johnson has a grizzly look for the anti-romantic comedy about two couples fighting to keep monogamous. Going by the trailer it looks like an upbeat, but touching comedy that isn’t overly dramatic or too syrupy.
Drinking Buddies hits theaters on August 23.
