We Are Your Friends (film)

We Are Your Friends
Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment (Film)
Founded	2015; 11 years ago
Founder	Max Joseph (director), Meaghan Oppenheimer (screenwriter), Richard Silverman (story)
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Products	Drama film
Parent	Warner Bros. Pictures (North American distributor), StudioCanal (international distributor)

We Are Your Friends is a drama film from 2015 marking Max Joseph's debut as a feature film director. The screenplay, co-written by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer, originates from a story by Richard Silverman. The narrative centers on a young DJ based in Los Angeles, portrayed by Zac Efron, who endeavors to establish himself within the music industry while managing complex personal dynamics. Emily Ratajkowski and Wes Bentley also star in pivotal roles.

The movie was distributed in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 28, 2015. Internationally, StudioCanal handled distribution across several territories including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite receiving mixed critical responses, the film achieved a box office return of $11 million on a modest $2 million production budget.

Plot

Cole Carter, aged 23, is a former collegiate track athlete from San Fernando Valley who dropped out of college to pursue a career as an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ and producer. He is supported by his friends Mason, Ollie, and Squirrel—who assist with club promotions and other side ventures. Cole’s break into the scene comes when he impresses established DJ James Reed at a private party, leading to a mentorship focused on originality and expanding Cole’s gig opportunities.

As Cole advances professionally, he begins a romantic involvement with Sophie, James’s assistant and girlfriend, who confides in him about her difficult past. Their relationship strengthens after reconnecting at an EDM festival in Las Vegas. Concurrently, Cole’s friends engage in real estate dealings through Paige Morrell’s agency, which proves lucrative but introduces moral conflicts.

The mentorship ends abruptly when James discovers Cole's affair with Sophie. The group faces turmoil following Squirrel’s fatal overdose after heavy partying. This tragedy forces each character to reevaluate their direction; Ollie leaves after a dispute with Mason. Cole confronts James over Squirrel’s death and later encounters Sophie working locally.

Inspired by ambient sounds during a run, Cole produces an innovative track incorporating these elements alongside personal audio samples. His performance of this piece at SummerFest in downtown Los Angeles receives acclaim and signifies his artistic breakthrough. The film concludes with each character moving forward: Ollie pursuing acting auditions, Mason managing club operations, and Cole balancing his career with his relationship with Sophie.

In a mid-credits scene, Tanya receives an Adidas shoebox containing money Cole had saved.

Cast

Zac Efron as Cole Carter
Emily Ratajkowski as Sophie
Shiloh Fernandez as Ollie
Alex Shaffer as Squirrel
Jonny Weston as Dustin Mason
Wes Bentley as James Reed
Joey Rudman as Joey
Jon Bernthal as Paige Morrell
Vanessa Lengies as Mel
Brittany Furlan as Sara
Jon Abrahams as club promoter
Alicia Coppola as Tanya Romero
Korrina Rico as Crystal
Nicky Romero as himself (cameo)
Dillon Francis as himself
Alesso as himself
DallasK as himself
Them Jeans as himself
Zach Firtel as DJ Sweet Baby Ray's
Andy Ward as DJ Xochil
Hayden Fein as DJ DK
Jacob Epstein as DJ Bald Dad
King Bach as himself (cameo)

Development

Negotiations began on June 6, 2014, for Zac Efron to star in an untitled DJ-centric movie directed by Max Joseph, marking his directorial debut. By July 31, 2014, Emily Ratajkowski had been cast in We Are Your Friends, with principal photography commencing on August 18. The film’s title is derived from the 2006 track "We Are Your Friends" by Justice vs. Simian. Additional casting announcements included Jon Abrahams on August 5, Alicia Coppola on August 14, and Wes Bentley on August 18. Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez, and Alex Shaffer also joined the ensemble. Background performers were recruited toward the end of September.

Filming

Principal photography started on August 18, 2014, in the San Fernando Valley. The adapted screenplay was co-written by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer, based on a story by Richard Silverman. Production was overseen by Working Title Films partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, with financing and global distribution handled by StudioCanal. Richard Silverman served as an executive producer. The promotional campaign for the film included stops in London, Paris, and six cities across North America: Toronto, Miami, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Animation

An eye-catching sequence incorporates animation to portray Cole’s PCP-induced hallucinations at an art gallery in Los Angeles, created using rotoscoping techniques.

Release

In November 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures secured North American distribution rights. Shortly thereafter, StudioCanal sold international distribution rights across various territories. Warner Bros. set the release date for August 28, 2015. The DVD was released in North America on November 17, 2015, while the Blu-ray became available in Region B markets—including the UK, Europe, Oceania, Middle East, and Africa—on December 17, 2015.

Box office

We Are Your Friends earned $3.6 million domestically and $7.5 million internationally, culminating in a worldwide total of $11.1 million.

Its opening weekend brought in $1.8 million and placed it 14th at the box office. Playing in 2,333 theaters, the film averaged $758 per location—ranking as the fourth lowest opening average for a film debuting in over 2,000 theaters. This record was later surpassed by Rock the Kasbah with a $731 average and Jem and the Holograms with $570 per theater; both films opened on October 23, 2015.

Critical response

The critical reception of We Are Your Friends was mixed; Zac Efron's portrayal and the soundtrack received commendation.

Rotten Tomatoes assigned a 41% approval rating based on 136 reviews with an average score of 4.93/10. Their consensus highlighted that despite "magnetic stars and glimmers of insight," the film was hindered by a formulaic coming-of-age narrative. Metacritic gave it a score of 46 out of 100 from 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore resulted in a "C+" grade.

The Hollywood Reporter ranked Efron's performance as Cole Carter as the second-best film role of 2015, recognizing him as one of the most promising American actors of his generation despite modest commercial success. Bilge Ebiri of Vulture.com noted that Ratajkowski’s character played a secondary role compared to the central romantic dynamic involving Efron and Bentley.

The movie is also discussed in season three of the podcast The Worst Idea of All Time, where two comedians from New Zealand watch and analyze the same film weekly for an entire year.

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