Review: Ill-timed, tone-deaf ‘Almost Friends’ gets romance all wrong

The painfully tone-deaf coming-of-age romance “Almost Friends” feels like a relic of a bygone era, when movies could casually present stalking and coercion as acceptable forms of courtship. Written and directed by Jake Goldberger without seeing the “nice guy”-style entitlement for the toxic, outdated mess that it is, the film’s Fall 2017 release date could not be more unfortunately timed.

Freddy Highmore stars as Charlie, an awkward 20-something who courts his high school-age crush, Amber (Odeya Rush) by constantly lingering around her place of work, a local coffee shop, urged by his friends to talk to her, despite her clear annoyance (Rush is unequaled when it comes to expressing irritated ennui). Even the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn’t keep Charlie away.

While pursuing Amber, Charlie deals with his own personal dramas: wallowing in a dead-end job at the local movie theater instead of pursuing his dream to become a high-end chef, and his estranged con-man father (Christopher Meloni) has come back to town. Meanwhile, Charlie’s pals are going through their own romantic travails.

This performance proves Highmore isn’t ready for a leading-man role, as he’s strangely listless, and far more creepy than cute. However, for all of the mini-melodramas that populate this tale, and the repellent ickiness in the central relationship, the worst part about “Almost Friends” is how incredibly dull and dramatically inert it is.

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‘Almost Friends’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena

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