Just Friends Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Moments like this have been ruining friendships for centuries.
Some friends are just friends. Others you get to see naked.
Two Words A Guy Never Wants To Hear
He loves her. She loves him not.
When he confessed his love for his best friend during their formative high school years ago, Chris was met with a broken heart and a degrading humiliation. Only adding insult to injury was his larger than life frame which became a source of ridicule for cruel classmates. But years later and things having changed, Chris is now a hotshot record producer in Hollywood and the complete physical opposite of himself in high school. He's also got an up and coming act by the name of Samantha James who has a psychotic crush on her producer. When a freak accident occurs on the way to Paris, Chris is forced to return home with her in tow. Little does he know that he would come face to face with the friend that he tried so desperately to forget. With the chance to woo her again, Chris will do what he can despite his client's violent misgivings and a competitive rival suitor against him. No matter the crazy obstacles he must overcome, Chris will do whatever it takes to be more than just friends.
| Ryan Reynolds | Chris Brander |
| Amy Smart | Jamie Palamino |
| Anna Faris | Samantha James |
| Chris Klein | Dusty |
| Chris Marquette | Mike |
| Julie Hagerty | Chris' Mom |
| Stephen Root | KC |
| Fred Ewanuick | Chuck |
| Amy Matysio | Darla |
| Barry Flatman | Mr. Palamino |
| Maria Arcé | Athena |
| James Bitonti | Bouncer |
| Annie Brebner | Sarah |
| Jason Bryant | Customer |
| Simon Chin | Sound Engineer |
| Roger Kumble |
6.20 out of 10 (9863 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Just funny, Just fun, Just sweet......Just see it!
posted on 20 Aug 2009Chris (Ryan Reynolds) was the fat kid in high school. Nevertheless, his best friend was the all-American beauty, Jamie (Amy Smart). The night of Jamie's graduation party turns way ugly for Chris, however, and he leaves New Jersey for California without a look in the rear view mirror. Years later, Chris is a big music executive who accidentally gets grounded in his former hometown. There, Chris reconnects with his ditzy mother and his hormone-crazed little brother. But there is one big difference...Chris is buff and attractive! A chance reunion with Jamie at the local pub leaves Chris knowing he is still charmed by her. Does he have any hope of winning her this time around? This film is the type of movie doctors prescribe for their depressed patients. The laughs never stop and the performers are charming. Reynolds and Smart score big points in their pursuit of a romance which misfires time and time again. Small town realities get a funny send-up, too. If you want a holiday film that dishes out healthy doses of spirited, hilarious comedy and kisses, just do NOT let this one get away. It is a guaranteed grin getter.
Interesting premise undone by its outlandish trajectory
posted on 13 Aug 2009I watched this film expecting a sweet comedy along the lines of "The 40 Year Old Virgin"...as a once-obese high school outcast Chris (Ryan Reynolds) finally gets the girl of his dreams, Jamie. The film starts out in the past (1995) at a graduation party at Miss Popularity's house where Chris is shamefully ridiculed by his entire graduating class. He runs away and vows to make something of his life.
Cut to 10 years later. Chris is a svelte, smooth record exec who uses women and disposes them after he gets what he couldn't get in high school. I kept thinking what a shallow cad he became. It's fine to improve your life (lose weight, gain confidence, pursue career goals), but that doesn't mean one has to lose his soul in the process. Anyhow, that's how they wanted to make the character. For some strange reason, he hasn't been to his hometown in New Jersey in ten years. By inexplicable logic, he gets stranded in his hometown on his way to Paris in a private jet with a former flame (the outrageous Anna Faris doing a combo-Britney Spears/Jessica Simpson). He connects with old friends, spots his dream girl working in a bar, and sees his former tormentor looking very much like a loser. So, this sets the stage to show off to his unrequited love that he's a changed man.
What ensues is a series of outlandish scenes that come across as very unrealistic, growing more and more unbelievable until the end, when it loses all credibility. While some of the scenes would be fine in a satire or spoof a la "Date Movie", this one sold itself as a "romantic comedy". After watching it, I felt that the makers insulted any movie goer with a brain. To make the movie funny, they went for outrageous, but it doesn't work. No wonder the film bombed at the box office. It could have been a great film. The premise is a good one (high school outcast changes into a better man and wins over the love his life), but the delivery simply sucks. What a squandered waste of celluloid.
The best it could have been
posted on 04 Aug 2009Just Friends was not going to be the next 40-Year-Old Virgin, but everyone knew it would be funny nonetheless. This movie had it's funny moments, many of them, however the plot was pretty much given in the previews. You saw how he lost weight and was now trying to hook up with his long lost high school "BFF", but they remained "Just Friends". Also the fact that Dusty was there (the guy with the "fifteen fingers"), and Samantha (the completely retarded hot chick), was given in the previews, and shown that they were Just Friends.This movie was very lacking, but altogether, it was the best it could possibly be. The directors and producers accomplished what they set out to do, which was to make a funny movie for the 2 months. This is just like all those other funny movies that you forget about. You won't remember this one as well as There's Something About Mary or Animal House. 6 out of 10.
Really Funny
posted on 01 Aug 2009I'll be the first to admit that there are problems with this movie, but I'm still giving it 5 stars because it's f**king hilarious and I could relate to a couple key things in the movie. The biggest problem with the film is the main character Chris (Ryan Reynolds). When we first meet Chris, he's fat high school kid that wants nothing more than to go out with his best friend Jamie (Amy Smart). When we meet Chris again, ten years later and missing a lot of pounds, he wants to try again with Jamie. He doesn't want to try and date her, start a relationship or anything like that. He wants to have sex with her. That's the biggest problem. This movie should've been structured the same way, but with Chris wanting to be with her instead of just banging her. Not that I wouldn't be doing exactly what he's doing in his position. Anyway, after a particular humiliating episode Chris moves from New Jersey to L.A. and becomes a record executive. When his boss (Office Space's Stephen Root) sends him to get superstar Samantha James (Anna Faris) on their record label; Chris ends up back in New Jersey, a place he hasn't been to in years. After meeting up with old friends, Chris meets Jamie again and schedules a date. Right away, Jamie misses the old sensitive Chris rather than the new narcissistic one and yet again, Chris doesn't get his woman. And then when Jamie reconnects with Dusty (Chris Klein), a kid who was also vying for her affection in High School; Chris realizes that his chances are over and, in typical romantic-comedy fashion, he decides to change after everything is said and done. Now, critics hated this movie and people on Amazon don't seem to like it that much. But this is a really good movie and a really good romantic comedy. Some of the humor is immature, but I thought this movie was "hilarious" especially since it's a romantic comedy. Reynolds proves that he is still capable of being funny post-Van Wilder. Amy Smart, who I've never found particularly attractive, looks gorgeous in this movie.
I'm not a big Anna Faris fan, but she nails the Ashlee Simpson like pop star excellently. Christopher Marquette (The Girl Next Door) plays Chris's younger brother Mike and produces quite a few of the jokes. So, sure, the movie has it's flaws (one I forgot to mention is...Why does it seem like Chris's mom is retarted?) but it really is a entertaining and funny movie.
GRADE: A-
J.A. Cambece Loves this movie
posted on 27 Jul 2009Ryan Reynolds is the man. Anything he is in is good to watch just because he is in it. He makes me laugh. He is my favorite actor. In blade trinity he was able to portray a vampire slayer. In van wilder he was a college student who turned his life around...after little clowning around, but anyway this is a great movie. There are hot girls; funny guys, a ridiculous plot and best of all RYAN REYNOLDS. Can you really ask for more? This is a movie a guy can see with friends or to see with his girlfriend...preferably with the lady (a bunch of dudes seeing this movie may seem a little weird). Make sure if you go with a girlfriend you save the make-out session for after the movie. This is pretty funny stuff. Oh yeah and one more thing, If this ever happens to you and your friends (the crazy loving your friends thing) you need to have some alone time and make sure its worth all the ridiculousness that proceeds. J.A. Cambece
She's no ordinary girl
posted on 24 Jul 2009At a high school graduation party, overweight Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to reveal his true feelings for his best friend Jamie Palomino (Amy Smart), but ends up making an utter fool of himself. What's worse, his humiliation takes place in front of his jeering teenage peers. A decade later, Chris has become a success story. He is now thin, prosperous, is a hit with girls, and works as an executive in the music industry. His latest assignment is escorting wacky starlet/pop princess and ex-flame Samantha James (Anna Faris) to Paris, France. But their plane has to make an unscheduled landing in Jersey, Chris's high school home. Rationally, Chris and Samantha decide to stay at his old house. Chris has a reunion with his former buddies, including the winsome Jamie, who immediately rekindles that old spark within Chris. The remainder of the film concerns Chris's efforts to make Jamie see him as more than a friend, while simultaneously fending off the warped Samantha. Competition comes in the form of a former fellow nerd turned sensitive guy Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein).
Just Friends is a very funny, feel-good movie. Ryan Reynolds is a hoot as a brash L.A. stud who disastrously channels his inner dweeb whenever he's around unrequited love Jamie. Ryan is really excellent with physical comedy. There are scenes with him that are just uproarious (case in point, the aftermath of his politically incorrect hockey game with the kids). I even enjoyed his frequent Three Stooges encounters with his kid brother (Chris Marquette). And when he has to, Ryan steps outside the slapstick and layers in a deeper nuanced, more introspective performance. I ended up rooting for Chris, even though he was overly cocky and big-timed his home town folks. And then there's Amy Smart, who seemingly can do no wrong. There's just something so lovable and natural about her. She embodies the type of girl every guy would want to be with. Anna Faris's turn as the unstable Samantha adds to the already boisterous feel of the film. Samantha actually scares me. Chris Klein's Dusty, Chris's guitar-playing, song-writing rival, is disgustingly touchy-feely. One would wish that a different sort of arc for Dusty's character had been laid out; the script writer, in my eyes, sold out and made things too convenient for Chris, with regards to Dusty. Julie Hagerty (Airplane!) has a goofy supporting role as Chris's mom.
The special features are tasty:
- a filmmakers' film commentary
- "Tales from the Friend Zone" featurette (the cast & crew talk about real life "just friends" experiences)
- "Developing Just Friends" featurette (wherein we learn of the script's 7 year odyssey and how, originally, Chris didn't get the girl at the end)
- "A Director's Guide to Comedy" featurette
- "The Transformation" featurette (about Ryan's fat face make-up)
- "The Body Shake" featurette (the awkwardness of when you're dropping off a date; do you hug or kiss?)
- "It's Friggin' Cold" featurette (the cast & crew basically complaining about how cold the shooting was)
- "A Writer's Journey" featurette (focus on script writer Adam "Tex" Davis)
- "A Disaster in the Making" featurette (about the making of the Palomino house X-mas decor and its eventual fate)
- "The Reshoots" featurette (the making of the eventual ending of the film, which wasn't the original ending)
- a so-so blooper reel
- deleted scenes
- an alternate ending (this was the initially intended ending; you could see why they changed it)
- an amusing "Jamie Smiles" video
- theatrical trailer
So, try out this movie. It'll make you smile and laugh and even feel nostalgic because, let's face it: just like me, you've been in Chris's position before, too.
Entertaining movie with solid cast, overall a ticket to the fun zone...
posted on 22 Jul 2009Movies don't need to be artsy, characters don't all need to be perfect, and actors don't need to be Oscar winners for you to enjoy a film. Just Friends, the new release starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Christopher Marquette, and Chris Klein, is a suprisingly funny and enjoyable movie that is worth a rental for a fun evening.
Ryan Reynolds plays Chris Brander, the Van Wilder of the Hollywood music scene. He's attractive, cocky, and utterly appealing to the ladies, with a succesful career and more money than he knows what to do with. He latest task, signing pop star and ex-fling Samantha James (Anna Faris), who makes Ashlee Simpson look like a PhD candidate. Having fled New Jersey 10 years ago in humiliation, after a high school graduation night party gone Oh So Wrong, Chris is involuntarily dragged back to Jersey after a flight to Paris with Samantha is interrupted by a microwave explosion.(apparently Samantha never knew you didnt microwave tin foil) Chris brings her home to his spacy mother(Julie Haggerty) and his live-at-home brother Mikey. (Christopher Marquette, The Girl Next Door).
We discover that the current charmer used to be Jersey's biggest high school loser: fat, dorky and endlessly pining for his best friend, Jamie Pallomino (Amy Smart). Chris was the Mayor of the Friend Zone, and has lived his life trying to forget those days. Chris runs into Jamie at the local bar, where his old feelings resurface in a second. Pawning Samantha off onto his lust-filled brother, Chris pursues Jamie with renewed passion. Unfortunately, the old Chris still lurks beneath the new exterior, full of insecurity, love, clumsiness and self-doubt. Will he escape the Friend Zone and get the girl? Considering its Amy Smart, who never fails to make the audience fall in love with her, we certainly hope so. He does have competition though. Dusty Dinkelman (a very funny Chris Klein), a once former loser like Chris, has also returned to town with new looks and the ability to be charming sensitive guy, and he is also after Jamie.
There are moments of pure hilarity, some entertaining slapstick, and solid performances by Reynolds, Smart, Klein, Faris, and Marquette. The movie doesn't humiliate overweight people, and Reynolds brings a suprisingly vulnerable side to the flashback scenes. There are hysterical moments that don't fit the movie well, mostly with Faris parodying the pop-tarts of the moment, and at times the plot tries to incorporate too much, almost if a producer was reading the script and said, "we need more funny!" All in all though a good, funny, entertaining movie with a solid cast. Recommended.
STILL GOT THAT CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
posted on 10 Jul 2009JUST FRIENDS
We have all either been in his situation or have known some one who is totally in love with somebody but stuck in the friend zone. No matter which situation you have been in between those two choices every one can appreciate this film for what it is, a film about wanting to be more then friends. When this film was first released I wanted to see it based on one thing, it starred Ryan Reynolds. I have been a fan of his since his sitcom days on a little show called "Two Guys, a Girl, & a Pizza Place" the pizza place part was eventually dropped from the title and Reynolds went on to fame later after starring in a National Lampoon movie called "Van Wilder". Now out of the show and the movie I am sure most of you at least remember the movie, it even spawned a sequel for Taj. So off I was to view this film and of course like I thought I liked it and bought the DVD when it eventually hit the store shelves.
The movie is all about a young man that was a little over weight as a kid and was teased, ridiculed and longed for his best friend played by the lovely Amy Smart. Of course things don't work out the way he wanted, in fact the end up horrible as he storms out of a party never to be seen again. Turns out years later he became a very fit and healthy successful man who worked in the entertainment industry. One day while at the office his boss informs him that he is going off with a diva wanna be played masterfully by Anna Faris, and is to woo her into coming to their label. Well he has a history with this girl and she takes his being there as a sign that they are back together, imagine his surprise when he gets stuck with her in his hometown after the plan has to land. So once there he goes to see his family and old friends, it is here that he runs into Jamie again and he is quick to show off. So the film goes into a full on comedic roll as Chris makes it his mission to get Jamie back for ignoring his earlier love, of course Anna Faris's character is not happy with this but she is pawned off on Chris's little brother [who is hilarious, and their fights remind me of myself and my brother] who is obsessed with her. but soon Chris starts to regain those old feelings and really tries to be with her but a challenge is on the horizon, a former fellow "just friend" played by Chris Klein. The guy is just to smooth for him at first even though Chris knows this guy's real motive about getting with her. So the war is on between these two newly successful guys, one wants her for her while the other wants something else.
Ryan Reynolds is perfect as the former heavyweight that makes good later in life, he has a perfect sense of timing and is great in this comedy. Reynolds has always been one of my favorite comedic actors and while the film is not perfect is performance is. Same can be said for co star Amy Smart who is great in the role of the girl who every body wants and peaked in high school, love that line. Chris Klein is great as well as the opposition to Ryan and plays both the good guy and jerk really well, but it is Anna Faris who steals the show a little in my opinion. She is very annoying but in good way, an entertaining way, she is definitely one of the best female comedic performers out there. She is so over the top and crazy in this film it is hard not to like her character, she is off the hook. Everybody who is in this movie all do great jobs and add to the hilarity of the situations, kinda reminds me of "Christmas Vacation {that film is a classic}. Writer Adam Davis, director Roger Kumble, and one of the many producers made this film based on things that really happened to them so I believe that the really wanted this film to work, in my opinion it does.
I enjoyed this movie a lot mainly because of the brothers fighting all the time, but the whole thing was good. I would not say that this is a classic but it is a good movie. I would say it is at least a rental but I recommend buying it, it is an entertaining film and I think you will like it. I feel like something is missing though and that is to bad because it holds this film back from being a classic comedy. Still it is very enjoyable and worth a viewing if you want to watch a comedy one night.
Waste of time
posted on 07 Jul 2009Chose to see this based on storyline of trailer. Big mistake. While I agree with other writers that some of us may have been through similar situations, this movie doesn't reflect anything near reality. As a comedy it's a complete failure. Wife and I both agreed this was a total waste of our time.Most movies flesh out the trailer and fill in the gaps. This movie is mostly gaps. The trailer was funnier than the movie, because it is mercifully shorter. "Just Friends" is painfully disjointed, boringly superficial and poorly directed. Random unfunny jokes and prepubescent humor abound. The only thing missing was gratuitous farts and a laugh track.This thing was so bad I'll make it a point to avoid other movies by Roger Kumble. Roger Kumble has the distinction of being the first director whose product was so bad I felt the need to find out who he was just so I can avoid anything by him in the future. The potential of this story was much greater; too bad it had no real direction. Comparing this movie in any way to SNL is an insult to SNL.
Horrible cliché
posted on 05 Jul 2009Fat boy has incredible crush on town hottie and is humiliated by just about everyone. Years later he returns as successful, good looking and experienced in deception. However, all his strategies fail him in his birth town, and in the end it becomes obvious that the only way to true love is truth and honesty.What a bunch of Hollywood. Of course it is easy to score when you are wealthy and good looking, even when you make the monumental mistake of telling the truth about your feelings. The top-the-other-similar-movies high school humiliations go way beyond believable and the character flaws makes it impossible to relate to the lead.In the end it was one of those films that you completely understand by watching the first 5 minutes and the last 5.
Actually funny, but with cliche ending.
posted on 30 Jun 2009This movie made me laugh so hard. I think the director put a lot of thought into this one (notice the snowman now frowning after the house got trashed). I only gave it four stars because it had the same tired ending of the two main characters getting together and there were many times I thought of ways a scene coudl have been more funny. I loved the spoof on "Britney Spears"-like character. The DVD is loaded with fun extras.
A Wonderful Christmas Comedy
posted on 29 Jun 2009Just Friends (2005, Dir. Roger Kumble) Chris Brander has always been friends with Jamie Palamino, but now decides it is time to take his relationship to the next step. The problem is, is that Jamie still wants to be 'Just Friends'. When he runs away and moves to L.A., he becomes a attractive music manager, who everyone wants. When his jet crashes, when flying to Paris with his newest singing sensation, Samantha James, he ends up back home. To his surprise, he encounters Jamie again, and sets out to be more than 'Just Friends' this time.If you enjoy comedies and you're really after a feel good movie to watch at Christmas, then 'Just Friends' is the perfect movie. The script is wonderfully written, in which the jokes are smartly made and do not get too rude. The story is both funny and heart warming and would definitely bring a smile to your face. The casting was very well done too. Everyone was a delight to watch from Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris to Chris Marquette and Julie Hagerty. The great thing about this movie, which i found very entertaining, is that most people could relate to either one of the characters or the situation. Ryan Reynolds and Chris Marquette play brothers so well, that they seem to reflect someone you would know. This goes the same with the other characters. This is definitely one film, which should be watched each Christmas."Get off me, God Boy!" - Samantha James (Anna Faris)
Very Pleasant Surprise
posted on 25 Jun 2009OK, I'll be honest. When my pal said, "I've brought a good movie for a laugh." The first thing that went through my head, looking at the cover, was 'another boring chick flick'. BOY was I wrong. I swear at some points in this movie I did almost wet myself a little bit. Now, I am not the type of person who sees a film that makes me giggle a bit and then decide that because i laughed a lot, its a great movie. I'm not. I just love the fact that the situations are so real. Everyone can relate to the topic and the humour comes from genuine original slapstick, the likes of which I haven't seen done this well since "meet the parents", and of course 100% certified fresh young comedians of today.Characters: Ryan Reynolds is fantastic in everything he does. Although I imagine he's a "love him or hate him" kind of actor (very similar to Jim Carrey, although I have never laughed as hard at Jim Carrey as I do with Ryan). His completely inimitable way of delivering these comic lines combined with raw physical performances that would put Jim Carrey to shame just gets me in the funny bone every time.Anna Farris I have always been wary of. It's a big gamble starting your mainstream career in "Scary Movie" which is an obvious typecast. However, Anna's performance is excellent. She really takes that role and just when you think she can't shock you any more, she does.Amy Smart doesn't really have a comedic role to play in this movie, which is a shame because as a comedic actress she really is quite something and pleasantly surprised me with her performance as the insane helicopter pilot in "Rat Race". Amy is the normality check in the movie when the other characters are getting a bit too crazy (I often find that insanity ruins good comedy). Chris Marquette plays Ryan's brother. Somebody give this guy a medal. The play fighting that goes on between Chris and Ryan is the greatest on screen chemistry I have seen in a long time. You do really link to and believe the brotherly bond.Chris Klein. Chris used to bore me. I though he was your standard pretty boy actor that could get away with an unchallenging side role in a comedy (American Pie), but this movie changed all that for me. I'm actually smiling here just remembering some of the faces he pulls during this movie.…to wrap up. If you're a Ryan Reynolds fan or like a feel good movie or just plain want to see something funny, then don't miss this film. It guarantees a giggle or 2 and really leaves you feeling great. I loved it.
Fighting over which movie to watch?
posted on 04 Jun 2009Watch Just Friends!
My husband and I have a nightly discussion of which movie to watch. His choice is always movies like Star Wars, Apollo 13 and Transformers. My choice is always going to be the opposite of war, space and violence. In other words, Chick Flicks! But the movies we can always agree on to watch, which we both mutually enjoy, are The American President, and JUST FRIENDS.
Just Friends offers the comedy relief we all need now and again.
Play close attention to Anna Feris. Her facial expresions crack us up eveytime we watch it.
Darla...
This movie was a surprise hit for the both of us.
Just friends
posted on 26 May 2009This film was horrible from beginning to end. It was one big cliché type of film. Boy in-love with his best friend who sees him as just a "friend." He decides to tell how he feels in her year book and her year book lands in her high school boyfriends hand who reads the message to their peers at a party that was being thrown for her by their mutual friends. He was so embarrassed that she only saw him as friend that he runs away for ten years never to be heard from except from family. He comes back to his home town in New Jersey and is proud that he is a success and that he is hanging out with top name celebrities in the music industry. Now that he is a success, he wants to use that to get the girl to sleep with him since he has become a ladies man since he left high school. Now he finds himself reverting back to the shy, nerdy teen that he was and finds that it is hard for him to convince her that he wants to be more than a friend to her. This movie is one bad roller coaster on him trying so hard to convince her and himself that he will prevail and finally have sex with Smart's character. The screen play sucks and the acting was not stellar at all. I don't even think I laughed once while watching this film. I kept thinking while I was watching it at home that it would get better; unfortunately it was a total waste of my time. This film was supposed to be a comedy, but I was not laughing at all. This is the worst film that Ryan Reynold has starred in so far and I thought that he was a pretty decent actor until this film. If you want to see a movie with similar theme, then rent the movie that stars Jennifer love Hewitt and Ethan Embry in "Can't Hardly Wait." the acting was a lot better and funnier. "Just friends" did not make the cut for me and I think you will feel the same way when you watch this absolutely disaster of a film. And we all know that he gets the girl anyway!
Some Laughs, But No Real Heart--"Just Friends" Just Doesn't Cut It
posted on 19 May 2009Comedy comes in many forms--everything from crude slapstick to subtle satire--and in "Just Friends" there is an uneasy fusion of two classic movie types. First, the movie wants to be a gross-out comedy. The sight gags are plentiful, the physical comedy abundant and often cruel, and the dialogue absurdly unrealistic. However, the movie also wants to be taken seriously as a typical romantic comedy--the variation where two people are meant to be together but various situations have kept them apart. These elements have been combined successfully in the past--"There's Something About Mary" jumps right to mind. Here, we get something far less successful.
First, the good news. There are legitimate laughs to be had in "Just Friends" and that was a pleasant surprise. If you don't care about character development and just want inane humor, you could do worse than this movie. And if the sight of Ryan Reynolds in a fat suit sounds like the height of hilarity to you--check this out right away.
Sadly, it's the romantic comedy angle that fails to ignite. There is nothing real at stake here to care about--and the blame for this falls squarely on Reynolds' character (I'll use the word character lightly here). Reynolds may be one of our greatest sitcom actors working--the problem, however, is that he's not in sitcoms anymore. He's making movies, unfortunately--and his hamming up to the camera always seem to take the place of a real character. Here, he plays a celebrity insider--a successful, trendy record executive. And yet, he's not believable as trendy, successful or professional. His character vacillates between being the a villain and a hero, you never know or understand him--he just does whatever is necessary to set up the next gag.
It's too bad, really, because Amy Smart--as his love interest--IS playing a character. I'm not usually a fan, but here she does nicely and the movie lets her down. But it's Anna Faris that I'm going to single out for the most inspired performance. The funniest bits to me revolve around her character--a shallow, insane pop star. Sure, it's an easy target--but she throws herself into the role with such hilarious, over-the-top gusto that she is easily a cast standout.
Again, some humor--no emotion. If you don't expect much from your comedy, you might just like this. The fatal flaw for me is that I felt this film wanted me to care about the central relationship, but didn't do anything to make it REAL. KGHarris, 10/06.
Hello, Joyce?
posted on 13 May 2009Okay, so I'm a year late with this one. Thanks to the On Demand service, I catch movies they have listed that I would normally not catch. This is one of them. I'm happy that I stumbled upon this quiet little comedy. Don't take that that this movie is a "golden winner" by any standards. This film doesn't ask much from the audience, but it's a decent enough experience to waste 95 minutes of your time. "Just Friends" doesn't re-invent the wheel for comedies or romantic comedies, but it's simple, pleasurable existence is enough. The always watchable and appealing Ryan Reynolds stars as Chris Brander, a guy who was pretty much on the outside in high school. He was overweight, had a retainer, and had frizzy hair that would make Richard Simmons jealous. He was always the best friend of sweet and cute Jamie Pallamino(Amy Smart), but he, like others like him, always wanted to be more. After a humiliating experience, we flash forward ten years to find Chris as a slim and attractive guy swimming in the high life with houses and money and all. He returns to his hometown after a plane mishap, runs back into Jamie, and the flames rekindled again. However, Chris faces some competition in the form of former nerd Dusty Dinkelman(Chris Klein). In his way is Samantha(Anna Faris), a pompus, shallow pop singer who thinks she is Chris' girlfriend. Reynolds has been funny and charming in the past, but it doesn't quite work here. He is the funniest in his high school days. Amy Smart is awfully cute, but there is no real insight or deep development for her characte. But she is so darn sweet and cute, that you understand why someone would want her as their significant other. But it's Faris who steals the show. Her over the top performance as a Britney-like pop singer who wants to be seen as more of an 'artiste' is hilarious, and provides most of the film's bigger laughs. Her "ice pack on head-toothpaste" scene is a particular highlight. The setting is nice and the holiday season this is placed against is always nice to me. What doesn't work here is that it is all very familiar. Walking along very familiar ground. The script pretty much follows the blue print of every other kind of movie like this. It goes from point A to point B to point C, and you will know how it gets to these points and what will happen before the film gets there. You are not going to get any surprises with "Just Friends", but then the filmmakers weren't trying for that to happen. Also, there is the character of Chris. He's a good guy and all, but you just don't really feel any sympathy for him in any of the stages of his life. Fat Chris or Thin, Rich Chris. It's a definite problem when you aren't feeling much for the hero of the story who tries to get the girl. The actors are good enough, appealing enough(some of them), and there are some genuine parts that are very laugh-worthy, but in the end, it's "been there, seen that, got the free t-shirt". Other pluses for the film include Julie Hagerty(of "Airplane" fame)appearing as Chris' mom. She is a funny lady, funny here, and we don't see her often enough. Chris Klein also appears and plays mostly against type. In the end, "Just Friends" is a carbon copy of a carbon copy, but there are much worse ways to send an hour and a half.
Just plain funny
posted on 30 Aug 2009It's been a while since I've seen a good romantic comedy, but after finishing this one this morning, I think I found a good one. While there was a nice, happy ending between Amy Smart and Ryan Reynolds following some hefty fighting, the humor was excellent. Anna Faris's portrayal of a psycho, Paris Hilton-esquire pop star was excellent and a great source of humor, I found particularly funny the scene when Faris is drugged out on Vicodin and is eating toothpaste. Faris's falling over a railing in a mall and driving away from Smart's house in a fit of anger, dragging her family's Christmas lights with her, were very humorous too. While Faris did have most of the main humor, Reynolds did have, in my opinion, one of the funniest scenes in the movie, in which he's on a stretcher, about to be loaded onto an ambulance when all of a suddenly, he goes sledding down the snowy hill and ends up face down on the frozen lake. I highly recommend this movie to both sexes, even though it is a romantic comedy, but anyone can see this movie is clearly hilarious.