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Ryan Reynolds,
Ryan Reynolds,
Amy Smart,
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:
Roger Kumble,
Roger Kumble
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: 
: New Line Home Video
: Comedies, Romantic Comedy
: 94 min.
: English
: English
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A hotshot thirtysomething record executive tries to win over the girl who once liked him only "as a friend" in this slapstick comedy. In high school, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) was an overweight, maladroit teen who spent every waking moment with his co-ed pal Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). On the verge of graduation, Chris is humiliated when his yearbook confession to Jamie -- that he wants to be more than "just friends" -- is read aloud. Jamie is flattered, but rebuffs his advances, and Chris spends the next decade transforming himself into a buff, callous ladies' man. Assigned by his boss to sign his pop star ex-girlfriend Samantha James (Anna Faris), Chris finds himself stranded in New Jersey for the holidays, where he promptly sets out to find Jamie. But winning back the love of his life proves difficult, as Chris not only has to get back in touch with the sensitive teen he once was, but also fend off competition from another former geek, the guitar-playing Dusty (Chris Klein). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
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| Just Awful.
by talltale
April 24, 2006 - 7:53 AM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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Another "high concept" notion from New Line ("Wedding Crashers") JUST FRIENDS plays out the old saw that, once a guy is "good friends" with a girl, the relationship can never cross over into the sexual. Here, it's a fat dork in high school (with a crush on the most popular/prettiest girl) who grows up into a stud muffin/heartbreaker and then reconnects with his first love. Guess what: it's hard to outgrow the "you" of childhood. Nice idea, but that's about all, since the execution is dreadful: stupid, obvious and unfunny (except for audiences who prefer lousy slapstick to a bit of wit).
The movie is endless--even at 93 minutes--and most of the cast has been better elsewhere. If you really need a comedy "fix" (it's true, there's not much new that's any good), go back to the classics and discover why they rate so highly. With this one,you may laugh now and again, but more from desperation than real enjoyment. The movie improves slightly as it moves along, and Chris Klein continues to exercise his acting chops with satisfying results. Ryan Reynolds, who gives "mugging" new meaning, remains cute and empty. Anna Farris and Amy Smart ought to trade places in roles such as these--before they get typecast for life. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 3.00)
5 Votes
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