'We Are Your Friends': Thursday Night Fever

Popcorn Column by Michael S. Goldberger

Warner Bros.  Zach Efron comes of age to the beat of electronic dance music in 'We Are Your Friends.'

Cole Carter, an aspiring DJ played by Zac Efron, doubtfully knows what a bildungsroman is, even though that's what he's experiencing in director Max Joseph's "We Are Your Friends." Quite simply, it's a subgenre of the good old coming-of-age story, wherein the protagonist, usually in his late teens or early twenties, forms his view of things. In filmdom, we've been taking note of this psychological transition ever since Andy Hardy popularized the notion back in the fictional town of Carvel. Like the carnival barker said, "It's never new, it's never old."

That's the great thing about it, and somewhat of a saving grace for director Joseph's synthesizer-infused delve into the EMD (electronic dance music) scene, a la the San Fernando Valley. While the timeless quandary, "What's to become of me?" doesn't change, each update of said life passage interestingly apprises us of a subculture perhaps eluding our radar. If Judge Hardy were Cole's confidant and counselor, his normally unflappable demeanor would surely be challenged by the lad's generation-specific growing pains: i.e., rampant drug use and loose sexual mores.

out of 4

There is a nervous, über frantic pace to the saga, consistently fueled by precipitously dangerous behavior and emulated in sound by the musical tracks that comprise the protagonist's raison d'être. Hence, those among the Great Unwashed who haven't been making the club scene of late are certain to be a tad abashed, especially if they've forgotten the analogous perils they themselves flirted with when they, too, were immortal. Experiencing such nostalgia is a side benefit of being the only one over 20 in the theater.

While the niche audience for whom this film is intended may not be impressed by the exaggerated mirror of what they already know, budding cineastes among them may give director Joseph credit for his creative attempts to ameliorate the inherent cliché. A comfortable notch above music video style, the interspersing of meditative images in the mainly linear telling of the tale, mixed with a cinéma vérité indulgence, makes for invigorative movement.

Otherwise, this is but a star turn for Efron and his supporting worthies, all of them evincing talent belying the stereotypes that should lead to better roles. Insofar as the film's cause célèbre tracks to which anyone who's anyone genuflects in total teen reverence, don't look here for an opinion. I only liked it when it approximated what I consider to be real music, and enjoyed the process by which Cole, with the help of an acclaimed DJ/mentor, achieved his sounds. Check with your resident music mavens, none of whom will be in agreement, for an informed appraisal.

That noted, for folks who couldn't care less about electronic music or what the latest, temporarily lost generation is up to, there is a star-crossed love story, replete with traditional deceit and angst. Sophie, the college gal smarter and more sophisticated than Cole, just happens to be the aforementioned guru's main squeeze. But while there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, this hackneyed triangle isn't among them.

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