Like it or not, We Are Your Friends is coming to a theater near you Summer 2015. The first trailer generated many snarky responses focusing on a 3 BPM difference masquerading as \”warming up\” the crowd, storing money in a shoebox under the bed, and extremely attractive leads Zac Efron and Emily Ratajkowski.
Even assuming the movie gets EDM details wrong – so what? The best movies tell a story that engages the audience and, as Pixar animators found early in their careers, even unfinished animation can be engaging because “[v]isual polish frequently doesn\’t matter if you are getting the story right.” Rating a trailer based on incorrect details is therefore ignorant and pointless.
Turning to the movie\’s story as shown by the trailer, We Are Your Friends follows the well-worn premise of a young man overcoming adversity. We see initially supportive friends turn into obstacles; we see a stable job jettisoned to focus on a music career; we see Efron pushed to grow by finding his own artistic signature; and we see romance between Efron and his mentor\’s girlfriend. The simplistic narrative structure doesn\’t guarantee a stupid or emotionally empty movie because many similarly simple movies and shows have demonstrated that, \”whatever a show\’s premise, capable execution is everything.\”
The production values are there. The soundtrack so far is interesting and the second trailer revealed new songs. And hell, I\’m excited to see a movie set in the world of EDM given all the time I spend in that world myself. I like what I\’ve seen so far and intend to see the movie, although I concede many (maybe even the majority?) of details are off. But so what as long as the movie resonates emotionally?
Watch the second trailer here:
