The trailer to Zac Efron’s movie We are Your Friends was a shocker — the film is not

WHEN the trailer to Zac Efron’s music drama romance movie We are Your Friends dropped, the haters were out everywhere. Not so fast.

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS (M)

Director: Max Joseph (feature debut)

Starring: Zac Efron, Wes Bentley, Emily Ratajkowski.

Rating: ***

A sound acquaintance worth making

Kneejerk haters everywhere have had their boots ready to give We Are Your Friends a right old kicking ever since a derision-magnet of a trailer dropped a few months ago.

There’s Zac Efron as some kind of DJ demigod, making sweaty, frowny faces while simultaneously working the decks and straining to keep his headphones on.

A one-way ticket to Upchuck City, anyone? Not so fast.

EVERY CURRENT MOVIE RELEASE RATED

Zac Efron, as DJ Cole Carter, attempts to find fame and fortune in romantic drama We are Your Friends. Picture: Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP

When experienced as a full movie, We Are Your Friends goes much, much better than that nauseating trailer.

Sure, it doesn’t stand a chance of winning over the cool crowd. EDM snobs will quite rightly sniff that the synth-doof sounds Zac is spinning are a few years behind the times here.

However, as an entry-level primer on what moves people on and off the dancefloor, this dinky, but determined little rites-of-passage drama keeps the beat just fine.

To his credit, Efron (who is yet to ever put in a truly bad one, it must be said) contributes a solid portrayal of Cole, a cool kid from the uncool side of the tracks desperate to mark his mark on the cutthroat club scene in Los Angeles.

Alex Shaffer, from left, Zac Efron, Jonny Weston and Shiloh Fernandez in a scene from We are Your Friends. Picture: Tony Rivetti Jr. / Warner Bros. via AP

Help and hindrance in equal measure immediately appears in the form of James (Wes Bentley), a star DJ who tours the world on the strength of his edgy exploits a decade ago.

Though now considered something of a sellout by those in the know, James is still across what constitutes a hot talent in his field.

Naturally, Cole fits the bill on that front, and could be set for the big time. Just as long as he can keep his knob-twiddling mitts off James’ personal-assistant-cum-girlfriend Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski). No prizes for guessing how that’s gonna go.

Has Zac Efron ever truly made a shocker? We are Your Friends is not his first. Picture: Tony Rivetti Jr. /Warner Bros. via AP

The best thing about the movie as a whole is Bentley as the mentor-nemesis of the yarn, supplying a weary, yet menacing edge to his dialogue that hopefully signals better times ahead for the one-time American Beauty star.

We have 15 x double passes to give away to We Are Your Friends starring Zac Efron and Emily Ratajkowski! To win, like our news.com.au Entertainment page, comment on the competition post and tell us in 25 words or less “If you could be best friends with Zac Efron for a day, what would you do together?” Competition closes Friday 28 August at 4pm. Click here for T&C’s.

Thanks @WAYFMovie I'm sad our tour is over! Go see it and tweet me what you think ❤️ #aug28 pic.twitter.com/q0FbBBYe4o

— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) August 22, 2015

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Originally published as The trailer to Zac Efron’s movie We are Your Friends was a shocker — the film is not