Film

We Are Your Friends

Name: We Are Your Friends
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance, Comedy
Released: 2015
Cast: Zac Efron, Wes Bentley, Emily Ratajkowski, Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez

Coming-of-age

A glossy coming-of-age drama about a young DJ chasing the Las Vegas electronic music scene, mentorship, and the girl who threatens everything. It's a stylish, music-driven film that wants to feel urgent about ambition and friendship, aimed squarely at twentysomethings who've felt the pull of something bigger. The soundtrack thrums; the stakes feel real in the moment.

TMDb rating

3.4

If you liked this

The Spectacular Now2013

A tender coming-of-age romance that nails the feeling of being 23 and convinced this moment, this person, is your whole future. The chemistry between leads crackles with genuine warmth and complication.

But Deliberately paced and introspective in a way that can feel slow if you're expecting plot momentum. Some find it precious rather than poignant.

Dazed and Confused1993

Linklater's ensemble hangout film about young people on the precipice of change. It captures that specific energy of friendship, possibility, and the certain knowledge that this version of life can't last forever.

But Episodic and plotless—it meanders deliberately. If you need a clear story arc, you'll be frustrated rather than seduced.

Project X2012

Chaotic, sweaty, and committed to the fantasy of one perfect night that will change everything. Raw energy and genuine stakes beneath the party movie surface.

But Found-footage style and crude humor land differently depending on mood. Can feel exhausting rather than exhilarating on second viewing.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from We Are Your Friends

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Climax2018

Both use the electronic music scene and beautiful young people as a lens, but Climax weaponizes that aesthetic against the audience. Where We Are Your Friends is seductive, Climax is toxic.

Gaspar Noé's nightmarish dance film uses electronic music and youth culture as the frame for something genuinely unsettling. It proves the same visual language and soundtrack can shift from aspirational to horrifying.

But Deliberately alienating and cruel. It punishes the viewer and offers no comfort—some find it nihilistic rather than truthful.

Whiplash2014

Raw obsession with mastery and the mentor relationship turned toxic. Intensity that justifies every frame. Jazz instead of electronic music, but the hunger is identical.

But Relentless and punishing—it offers no comfort or lightness. Some find it bruising rather than cathartic.

La La Land2016

Gorgeous musical about ambition, romance, and the cost of chasing dreams in a city built on impossible hopes. The cinematography alone rewards your attention.

But Deliberately artificial and stylized—some find it too in love with its own aesthetic. Jazz-forward romanticism isn't for everyone.

The Social Network2010

Propulsive storytelling about young men with vision, ego, and something to prove. Sorkin's dialogue makes ambition feel like a contact sport.

But Entirely focused on creation and competition, not character depth. The world it portrays can feel cold and male-centered.

Swingers1996

A love letter to male friendships and the specific loneliness of trying to make it in LA. Funny, touching, and genuinely interested in how men support each other through failure.

But Dated dialogue and fashion. The perspective is locked firmly in 90s maleness, which reads problematic to modern eyes.

Blow2001

Johnny Depp as a charming dreamer who builds an empire through charisma and connections. Visually rich exploration of how seduction and ambition can feel identical.

But Nearly three hours and the rise-and-fall structure is predictable. It can feel self-pitying about its protagonist's choices.

Adventureland2009

Understated summer-set coming-of-age about young people working dead-end jobs while figuring out who they are. Real and funny about disappointment and connection.

But Deliberately slow and melancholic. There's no big moment, which some mistake for nothing happening at all.

Spark: A Burning Man Story2013

Same world, same searchings for transcendence through music and gathering. But this one shows the real infrastructure and philosophy, not the fantasy version.

Documentary about the festival culture and transformative community that electronic music creates. Gorgeous and genuinely moved by what it witnesses—the spiritual hunger beneath the partying.

But Sincere and earnest about spirituality in a way that can feel naive. Some viewers find doc-style less engaging than narrative film.

Phantom Thread2017

Both center a young person learning from a charismatic master, and both ask whether the cost of that apprenticeship destroys or transforms. Phantom Thread answers darkly.

Paul Thomas Anderson on obsession, mentorship, and the woman who unmakes an empire through love. Operatic and precise about how ambition can be a form of poison.

But Slow, gorgeous, and entirely uninterested in likability. The romantic core is toxic in ways that won't appeal if you want traditional satisfaction.