Just Friends

I don't understand some of the brutal reviews that this movie has been getting. Ebert gave it a 'D'. He wanted to focus on Reynold's character losing the weight. Seeing as Roger's always been a chubby guy, that's important to him, but it would have made for more of a more expected plot line. My opinion is closer to Entertainment Weekly's 'B+'. Sure, it's a light romantic comedy, but the performances of Anna Faris and Ryan Reynolds alone are worth the price of admission. I thought the characters were all well-played and the dialog moved the movie along faster than its 96 minutes running time. An excellent date movie. Also, a good movie to see with that person that you're trying to get out of the "friend's zone" because you'll end up talking about the movie afterwords.

Chris (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.

Just Friends is a 2005 romantic comedy that follows a formally obese womanizer who attempts to get out of the friend zone after coming home for Christmas and reconnecting with his high school crush.

This is a fantastic movie that brings its comedy A game right out of the gate and stays funny the whole way through.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Chris Brander, a former overweight and unpopular high school kid who never got the girl of his dreams. Now grown up, and the man he always wanted to be, Chris comes back to his hometown and attempts to get the girl that he never stopped loving.

The cast is terrific, with Reynolds performance and self centered sarcastic demeanor shining with hilarity. As with most Rom Coms, the movie can be pretty predictable at times but that doesn't keep it from being very entertaining. If you've never seen this before, I would recommend checking it out.

"Just Friends" is about a guy named Chris (Ryan Reynolds) who in high school was an overweight but caring, sweet, and likable guy. Chris wanted to date his best friend Jamie (Amy Smart) but they never did because she wanted to just be friends and date the cool guys. Ten years later, Chris sheds all his weight and is now a big time record producer touring with the hottest pop star Samantha James (Anna Faris). While on their plane to Paris, Chris and Samantha's plane has to make an emergency landing and the plane lands near Chris's old home town. To make matters worst, Chris winds up going into the bar where he runs into his old crush Jamie. So does Chris have what it takes for Jamie and him to be more than just friends?

"Just Friends" is not a great movie by any means but a likable romantic comedy. Sure the movie is predictable but it's a fun and ultimately sweet movie. I actually like the fact that the movie had a nice message in the end which basically said "be yourself and it will pay off in the end." The jokes for the most part worked for me because they were all pretty innocent and didn't really rely on sex gags to sell the movie.

I did however get annoyed by the amount of gay jokes in the film which like I always say are never really that funny and get old very fast. I understand as much as I rant about gay jokes there not going to stop but let's hope that they can be limited. There is only one gay joke in the entire film that works, while there are about 10 in the entire film.

As far as acting goes, I must say it's about time that Ryan Reynolds stars in a decent movie!!! I have been waiting for years to actually go into a theater and see something of his that doesn't totally suck! You see I always wanted to like him but most of the material he has done just didn't appeal to me and every time I saw a movie he was in, I hated it with a passion. I think this role worked for him because he had to play a likable character and while many will say he always plays a likable character I say that he always plays the same sarcastic cool guy character. This role allowed him to still be his normal character for some part but also a likable character as well. Mr. Reynolds has finally gotten out of his box and played a role that wasn't tailor made for him.

As for the rest of the cast, Amy Smart was also very likable as the best friend Jamie. She was honestly a very sweet and caring person and you really wanted her to date Chris at least in the beginning. Anna Faris who again plays the same character in every movie did play her "typical" airhead role. But she played a stereotypical brainless pop star and played it perfectly. And while I must admit I do like pop music, I found her whole performance hilarious. She basically played Jessica Simpson in the movie and there are a few jokes that really imply that's who they were mocking.

The reason I think I actually enjoyed this film was that I could relate to the characters. The main character Chris was like a few people in high school including myself, a really nice guy who was friends with a lot of very pretty girls but never moved past that point because of their image or how they were perceived in school wouldn't allow them to be more than just friends. And while the movie doesn't really seem realistic it is made by Hollywood, which at times gives people a chance to believe that the underdog will come out on top. "Just Friends" isn't going for a Best Picture nomination or even trying to be original but it does a decent job of what its suppose to do and that is provide jokes and some romance which the film does and does it very well.

All in all, "Just Friends" is a guilty pleasure film. It's not one that will do well at box office or be liked by everyone (most critics gave it rather poor reviews) but I don't think it was a film created for critics but a specific limited audience. And while the film's marketing makes this film look like a typical teen movie, I feel it's a bit more mature than that even though some of the characters in the film are almost childlike. Overall "Just Friends" shows how important it is to be yourself and act mature. It is also proof that Ryan Reynolds can play a different character and is actually good at it. As long as you don't go into the theater expecting a film that is original and thought-provoking you should be fine because this movie is a decent holiday romantic comedy that both guys and girls alike can enjoy.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Just Friends" is a 7/10 and it will be added to my guilty pleasure section of my DVD collection when it is released on DVD in a few months.

Maybe it's nostalgia, but rewatching this as an adult was about as fun as I remember as a kid. As far as shitty early 2000's romcoms go- this is a pretty good one. I'm realizing now just how many little quibs in this movie I have continued to say throughout the years. With a fun holiday feel to it, its easy to forgive some of the typical movie tropes this movie is littered with. Looks like Ryan Reynolds has always been capable of leading an entertaining comedy.