TOTALLY OUT OF TUNE

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS Direction: Max Joseph Actors: Zac Efron, Emily Ratajkowski Rating:

All it takes to attain fame and fortune is “a laptop, some talent and one track”, says the aspiring young disk jockey at the centre of this comingof-age romance, set against the backdrop of the electronic dance music scene.

Sorry to be a killjoy, but it takes more. And We Are Your Friends is devoid of any discernible rhythm. Straining for kinetic energy, the overall effect of director/cowriter Max Joseph’s first feature is of a tired, overambitious effort. Through some contrived dramatics, the 20-something aspirant (Efron) befriends an established older DJ (Wes Bentley). Granted access to the latter’s state-of-the-art studio, the protégé hones his craft even as he takes a shine to his mentor’s girlfriend (Ratajkowski, bland). Things finally seem to be moving in the right direction with the upstart landing his first big-time gig at the Los Angeles County summer fest. Worshipping at the altar of Mammon, he and his three whacked-out buddies continue their afterhours prowls of hotspot clubs. Will they be able to achieve their get-rich-quick dreams? Who the hell cares? Besides ultra-glossy production values and de rigueur slow-motion shots, there are flashy flourishes such as the colours oozing out of portraits and enveloping visitors at an art gallery. Arcane information about the links between electronic beats and the human circulatory system is also imparted. The performances are uniformly dreary. As for the soundtrack, it’s an assault on the eardrums. Like the gyrating juveniles who assemble at the wannabe star’s make-or-break concert, We Are Your Friends just fails to find the right groove.