Review of Just Friends? (2009) by Numna S — 29 Oct 2009

I happened to catch this on cable while I was away and god was I bored. Everything that is bad about recent cinema is contained within this movie.

For starters, we get a very vague description of how the characters relationship began. We just see them hanging out and are apparently supposed to accept that they are massive friends, even though Jamie (Amy Smart) is the whore of the high school and Chris (Ryan Reynolds) is a fat loser with awkward social skills. He gets humiliated and runs off, which prompts a 10 year flash forward to the future.

This is where Chris is now a massively famous music producer (or something with music) and can get any woman he wants. Instead of using his actual personality, though, Chris is just an asshole. This sets up the worst part of the movie; The characters. How can you feel for this guy who was made fun of in school if he is a jerk to everyone?

Well, regardless of that negative, Chris is told to secure a contract with Samantha James (Anna Faris), a rising star in the music world. She is the typical ditzy whore of these movies and she expects the world to revolve around her.

On a random flight to paris at Samantha's request, their plane has to land and we now wind up in New Jersey, Chris' old home. I'm pretty sure you know what happens next and can probably figure out the ending as well. If this movie tried to aim for something more (like an actual in-depth look at how girls label guys as "Just Friends"), then maybe you would care.

Or, possibly, if the characters in this movie weren't complete stereotypes of their genre, you could see something to like in the film. You know what else happens? An old rival (of sorts) comes into the picture to try and steal Jamie away from Chris. Oh, well, now we finally have the entire archetype for a romantic comedy set.

This wouldn't matter too much if the actual comedy was funny, but it just borderlines idiocy at times. Anna Faris does give a somewhat funny performance, but the writing for her actual character gets in the way of any true belly laughs.

Another note on acting is everyone else in the film. Ryan Reynolds (whom I usually enjoy) is terrifyingly bad. Every single one of his lines is delivered while talking through his teeth, as if he just hates life and every sign of humanity. He never switches tone to fit the situation and the only time he does any acting (the end of the movie), it's far too late to care. Amy Smart is almost as bad, but she at least shows 3 emotions instead of just 1.

I'm not sure what else I can rant about with this film. It was purely awful and you should skip it at all costs. I would say dump your girlfriend if she wanted to see this crap, because I would rather not rot my mind and possibly become an angry individual for seeing this kind of trash.