Olivia Wilde is the gorgeous, earthy, uproarious Kate, the marketing and events director (and only female employee) at a artisinal brewery in Chicago. She’s one of those permanently game, bloke-ish gals, who drink and swear and party the equal of any man, all the while looking like, well, Olivia Wilde. Although Kate has a boyfriend, there are undeniable sparks with her co-worker Luke, (Jack Johnson) – an attraction that’s stifled only by the fact that Luke has a really great girlfriend. Yet in spite of the set up, “Drinking Buddies” isn’t some slick, raunchy sex comedy, and it also doesn’t it follow the obvious, well-trodden path of just about every other romcom you’ve ever seen. Instead, it’s totally fresh and totally human and totally winning. I loved it.
As I thought about how I’d review Drinking Buddies, my first reaction was “Olivia Wilde completely owned that film.” And she does. She really does. But actually, she’s fully matched by Jack Johnson, who becomes a bona fide movie star, right there, before your eyes.