Just Friends: A Comedy That Misses the Mark
It’s a curious phenomenon: for the second time in two years, a “super-comedy” with the bland title “Just Friends” (2005) has crossed the ocean from America, following in the footsteps of French cinema. This feels less like coincidence and more like a symptom. The title is a perfect reflection of the film itself – desperately trying to be sharp and funny, but ultimately falling flat. This eagerness to please is a telltale sign that it’s unlikely to succeed.
From High School to Hollywood and Back
The story begins in a small-town high school, where a chubby boy harbors unrequited love for a beautiful girl. She sees him as “just a friend,” a fact cruelly exposed at their graduation, leading to his humiliation. Years later, the boy, now a successful and handsome publicist in Los Angeles, finds himself unexpectedly returning to his hometown. There, time seems to have stood still. Everyone still sees him as the slightly thinner version of his former self, and the girl remains just a friend. He sets out to prove he’s no longer the same person, but everything seems to work against him.
This Cinderella-esque premise, with the roles reversed, has potential. It could explore the challenges of changing established relationships, a theme rich with possibilities across all genders and ages. It could also delve into the lives of women who settle for “just friends” as husbands, examining the consequences of such choices.
Eccentricity Over Substance
However, director Roger Kumble takes a different, more eccentric route. He’s too busy trying to be funny to actually think. To complicate the publicist’s return, he introduces a talentless pop singer, whom the publicist is supposed to be promoting in Paris. Her over-the-top antics prevent them from ever reaching their destination. This character brings with her a barrage of screaming, running, cake-throwing, toothpaste-spewing, and pseudo-sexual posturing. While the singer is largely irrelevant to the main plot, she consumes a significant amount of screen time.
This “eccentricity” extends to turning every incidental character into a caricature of idiocy: the publicist’s overweight boss in leather pants, the perpetually hysterical mother, the pimple-free rival with a guitar and access to an ambulance (for reasons never fully explained), and the bratty hockey-playing kids. Why hockey players? Why an ambulance? What’s the point of the younger brother? Apparently, he’s there to drive the singer to stores where she can fall down the stairs – another comedic necessity that eats up valuable time.
Missed Opportunities and Questionable Choices
For an audience content with simple humor, perhaps this will suffice. But even they might find some aspects of “Just Friends” questionable. Ryan Reynolds (“Waiting…”) is convincingly transformed into his “fat” younger self with the help of prosthetics. However, why is his double chin so pale compared to his tanned face? And how can he be considered a heartthrob when his beady eyes are constantly squinting, hardly a sign of charm, even in a comedy? Rising star Amy Smart (“The Best Man”) and established comedic actress Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) seem to be playing their level of fame rather than actual roles. Faris is allowed to be completely unhinged, while Smart remains the perfect blonde.
Ultimately, the biggest criticism lies with the distributors. This is a Christmas comedy released in the spring. The timing couldn’t be worse.