Before rubbing shoulders with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for Paramount’s Baywatch movie, Zac Efron will topline Max Joesph’s We Are Your Friends as an aspiring DJ who wants nothing more than a shot at the limelight. In today’s series of clips from Warner Bros., we see the obstacles that Efron’s Cole will have to overcome in his would-be path to stardom, as our EDM prodigy is confronted with personal issues, emotional struggles and professional setbacks.
Arriving ahead of the film’s debut in little over a week’s time, the pulse-pounding footage focuses more on stylish editing and energetic music than character drama. That’s not to say that these really rather hollow clips are indicative of Joesph’s final product – there’s only so much you can cram into minute-long teasers, after all – but we’re still skeptical about the core story of We Are Your Friends.
Centering around Efron’s tumultuous journey to EDM fame, the movie sees his character taken under the wing of James, an older mentor played by Wes Bentley. Things begin to get complicated when Efron’s lead falls for his girlfriend Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski), and their passionate relationship threatens to derail everything that he’s been building toward hitherto. Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez and Jon Bernthal complete the cast.
We Are Your Friends will get pulses racing and fists pumping when Max Joesph’s directorial debut opens in theaters on August 28.
“We Are Your Friends” is about what it takes to find your voice. Set in the world of electronic music and Hollywood nightlife, an aspiring 23-year-old DJ named Cole (Efron) spends his days scheming with his childhood friends and his nights working on the one track that will set the world on fire. All of this changes when he meets a charismatic but damaged older DJ named James (Bentley), who takes him under his wing. Things get complicated, however, when Cole starts falling for James’ much younger girlfriend, Sophie (Ratajkowski). With Cole’s forbidden relationship intensifying and his friendships unraveling, he must choose between love, loyalty, and the future he is destined for.