Movie Notes: Just Friends

November 11th, 2009

= 3 stars

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris
Directed by Roger Kumble

Synopsis

Chris (Ryan Reynolds) was a chubby dork in highschool. Ten years later, successful and trimmed down, he returns to his hometown to see if his friendship with Jamie (Amy Smart) could become something more.

The Good

• Laughed more than I thought I would, because thankfully, this film is aware of how dumb it is. Small, oddly funny bits are sprinkled throughout, like Chirs’ retainer, his idiotic younger brother prone to fits of spastic violence, and the suspiciously too-nice Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein) who takes Jamie to see The Notebook. That particular scene had chuckling.
• Then there’s Anna Faris, who steals all her scenes as the incredibly stupid beyond belief pop star Samantha James: talentless, cluless, and sporting an odd habit of meowing for no reason. Her signature tune “Forgiveness” is wincingly, awfully funny. Coming in a close second is Dusty Dinkleman’s wooing song “Jamie Smiles.”

The Bad

• Predictable.
• Reynolds isn’t too convincing in the fat makeup, and his lipsyncing to music is more creepy than funny.

Conclusion

Just Friends is a passable rental, where lowered expectations delivers in spades. Meow.

IMDB: Just Friends
Wikipedia: Just Friends
Rotten Tomatoes: Just Friends 43%