‘We Are Your Friends’ Film Review: A Feel-Good Zac Efron DJ Dance Party for the iGeneration

Zac Efron’s the message. Quite the young, wholesome, integrity-projecting, dream-boat movie star. Many young female iGens will pay homage.
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
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“We Are Your Friends” is an iGeneration (the one after millennials) update of the 38-year-old “Saturday Night Fever,” with current tween heartthrob Zac Efron DJing, instead of ‘70s teen heartthrob John Travolta discoing.

Or, since iGens are not familiar with white-suited Travolta doing the index-finger dance that defined disco-cheese (but was endlessly cool in ‘77)—let’s call “We Are Your Friends” a San Fernando Valley version of “Entourage” with Efron in the Vincent Chase role. Because it’s actually a lot of both.

All Three Movies Have Four Bros

So, there are four Valley bros who couldn’t or wouldn’t go to college. DJing wannabe Cole (Efron), actor-wannabe Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez), big-deal chaser Mason (Jonny Weston), and Squirrel (Alex Shaffer) in the Turtle role from “Entourage,” (and the Bobby C. role in “Saturday Night Fever”).

(L–R) The four bros—Alex Shaffer as Squirrel, Zac Efron as Cole, Jonny Weston as Mason and Shiloh Fernandez as Ollie in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Studiocanal's romantic drama "We Are Your Friends," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
(L–R) The four bros—Alex Shaffer as Squirrel, Zac Efron as Cole, Jonny Weston as Mason and Shiloh Fernandez as Ollie in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Studiocanal's romantic drama "We Are Your Friends," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to film, he enjoys martial arts, motorcycles, rock-climbing, qigong, and human rights activism. Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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