Guzzle Buddies
Comedy, Short Films, 03-Jan-2025
Two tortured men spend the day taking care of one another. Michael Rees’ “Guzzle Buddies” features a charismatic Lewis Pullman and Kyle Chase in a darkly comedic examination of male friendship and deep-seated crisis. Lewis comes home to find his roommate, Kyle, in the middle of an existential panic attack. Trying to get his boy going, Lewis has Kyle take a cold shower, freestyle on an improvised beat, get moving on the roof, and have a little “sippy sippy” of tequila. Slowly but surely, Kyle seems to come up from his down. “I feel like Don Draper,” Kyle says. But as it occurs, Lewis begins to lose his own steam, and we watch the two deduce that Lewis could, in fact, be an alcoholic. Like in his previous work, “Love Machine,” “Middle Sized Things,” and “Normal Guys,” Rees offers a penetrating depiction of extreme behavior with a refreshing, idiosyncratic voice that fluctuates between silly and tender. -JM. Director / Writer: Michael Rees. Cast: Lewis Pullman, Kyle Chase. Producer: Jess DiMento. DP: Bart Cortright. Cam Operator: Sarah Penson. Prod Sound: Victor Solorzano. Editor: Michael Rees. Color: Ben Federman. Sound Design / Mix: Chase Everett.