Just Friends

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.

Very funny movie. Anna Faris steals the show. Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart were great together. A very funny and relatable "going back to your home town" story.

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.

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.