When we are children, our friends are everything. They may not be as constant as parents or siblings, but a best friend? Those can be forever. Adult Best Friends reminds us that adulthood is hard, and maintaining a lifelong best friendship is even harder! For cynical Delaney (Delaney Buffett, who also wrote and directs in her film debut) and her BFF, Katie (Katie Corwin, co-writer), their bond has endured since a seventh grade kissing party. When Katie becomes engaged to her hunky boyfriend, John (Mason Gooding, Scream VI, Love, Victor), how can she possibly break the news to Delaney without snarky negativity being flung her way? As the topic becomes larger and larger, Katie pitches ‘Katie and Delaney’s Beach Adventure.’ Maybe finding out while they are out having fun together will help things go down just a little bit smoother. Delaney and Katie have a genuine connection offscreen that bleeds into every onscreen interaction, making Adult Best Friends unironically tons of fun.
Delaney’s outlook on life presents an encapsulated version of toxic negativity. We all know that one person who simply will not allow anything even remotely positive to happen in their experiences, choosing to focus on those negative elements specifically. Such is the case in Delaney’s dynamic with Katie. Delaney has no shortage of snide comments to insert in any given situation. Acknowledging one’s negativity shows immense growth, and so too does this eventually occur in Delaney’s case within the framework of her character arc. Both women are as realistic in practice as they no doubt were on paper, but Delaney especially has a concise trajectory over the course of the breezy runtime.
Also noteworthy: Katie and her relationship with fiancé John. His excitement over the prospect of starting a life with Katie is contagious, and makes him easily likable. Katie’s girls’ trip presents an interesting roadblock in her relationship. Not only has Katie been saddled with the burden of her engagement news to Delaney, but she also faces an existential crisis in her romantic life. A casual flirtation with a constantly-shirtless groom in the area for his bachelor party seems to suggest that maybe Katie’s love may not be everlasting in nature. While Charlie (Connor Hines, Something From Tiffany’s) does perfectly fine, this angle of the storyline was the hardest for me to swallow. Nearly everything about John seems perfect, and who would honestly turn down Mason Gooding? Zachary Quinto shows up as Katie’s all-knowing brother who just loves to psychoanalyze unprovoked.
The situational dark humor gives way to many relatable laugh-out-loud moments. The friendship between Delaney and Katie has to be the movie’s vital lifeblood. Seeing two strong female besties onscreen together in a story not driven by trauma is also refreshing. Whatever these two develop next, I would be onboard to see if the project carries the same level of indie charm. Whether making a drinking game out of each time its characters take a sip of alcohol or just joining for the dramedy vibes, Adult Best Friends forms an emotional bond between Delaney and Katie that will have one desperate to text their bestie in their own life.
Adult Best Friends screened at 2024’s Tribeca Film Festival.
