Plot: What’s it about?
Let’s take a trip back to 2005, shall we? The word was a much different place, one without social media (or at least mainstream social media) and Ryan Reynolds wasn’t the superstar he was today. Sure, he’d had a few films to his credit, namely Blade: Trinity and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, but Just Friends gave him his first shot at the “leading man” role that we now know him for. He wasn’t alone, however, as Amy Smart (Varsity Blues), Anna Faris (Scary Movie) and Chris Klein (American Pie) were part of the ensemble cast. Given the thousands upon thousands of movies I’ve had the chance to watch and review, I have no idea why this one never rung a bell with me. Not only had I not seen it, I don’t think I’d ever heard of it. How’s that for being disconnected in a connected world? But I figure any Ryan Reynolds performance prior to X-Men Origins: Wolverine is worth a look. So I looked. Here’s what I found.
Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) isn’t the most popular guy in school, nor is he athletic. But he’s a nice guy who has a secret crush for his best friend, Jamie (Amy Smart). At a year end party, he decides to profess his love for her and it doesn’t go well. Flash forward a decade and Chris is now a music executive living in Los Angeles, who’s shed his baby fat and now sleeps with models. His boss (Stephen Root) has assigned him with signing a talent, Samantha James (Anna Faris). While en route to Paris, their plane is forced to land remarkably close to his hometown. Chris figures with his newfound looks and confidence, he’ll finally be able to woo Jamie. But in the process, he’s no longer the “nice guy” he was a decade prior and this doesn’t sit too well with her. Add to that, another outcast from high school, Dusty (Chris Klein) has also “blossomed” and is pursuing Jamie as well. Chris, with the help of his brother, Mike (Chris Marquette), has to do some soul searching if he’s to have any chance with Jamie. The question is…can he?
When Harry Met Sally…said it best “men and women can never be friends because the man will always want sex.” Just Friends explores that from a different angle and one that was highly influenced by the screenwriters. The film gives us a nice mid 2000’s comedy that didn’t go the vulgar route, but also has some questionable moments. Is it a Christmas movie? I guess do. It wasn’t marketed as one, however. Also I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a movie in which so many people get slapped in the face. It’s like, a lot. Also there’s a fair amount of screaming involved. At any rate, if you wanted to see Ryan Reynolds before he was truly “Ryan Reynolds” then this is a good place to start. Anna Faris is the scene stealer, however as her Paris Hilton-inspired character has some of the best lines and she milks them for all they’re worth. For many, this is a cult classic and for others it’s a passingly forgettable film. I still haven’t decided where I stand on the issue.
Video: How’s it look?
Having not seen the film before, I have no basis of comparison as to what it looked like on DVD. I know that Warner Archive does a fine job with their titles and it appears as if this is an upscaled version of what the DVD was. It looks good, but not great. Reds and greens (for obvious reasons) look good, detail is good and there was a strong overall, very pleasing look to the film. The 1.85:1 AVC HD encode will certainly please fans because there’s no telling how long it’ll take for a 4K release to show up.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 mix has some moments to shine, but by and large this fits squarely into the “teen comedy” genre for sound. If you’re a fan of All-4-One’s “I Swear” however, you’ll be in heaven as it’s featured – a lot. Vocals are pure and crisp, surrounds are used sparingly but effectively (the scene a car crashes into a house comes to mind), but aside from that nothing really rocked my world. Like the video, it’s good but not great.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s good news and bad with this one. One one hand, all of the extras from the previously-released DVD have made the leap, but there was (evidently) a manufacturing error and many copies were shipped with only the theatrical trailer included. I guess I was one of the fortunate ones and though these do now look somewhat dated, it’s nice to have so many features to choose from. Let’s get started.
- Audio Commentary – Director Roger Kumble is joined by screenwriter Adam “Tex” Davis as well as Chris Bender and Jake Werner, the Co-Producers and Richard Breyer and Cale Boyter, the Producers. Given the amount of people on this track, it gets a bit lively but it also loses its focus with each one trying to “one up” the other. I mean, yeah, we know it was cold during the shoot and so forth. It’s nice to have, to be sure, but nothing I’ll ever listen to again.
- Featurettes – Eleven of these total, each with some cheesy introduction by Christopher Marquette who played Mike in the film.
- The Transformation – We get to see Ryan Reynolds (ala 2005) have his “fat suit” applied, hence “the transformation.”
- A Director’s Guide to Comedy – Director Roger Kumble gives us his .02 on what makes a good comedy and why this one is it!
- Developing Just Friends – The filmmakers discuss the genesis of the project as well as some of their real-life anecdotes that made it into the movie.
- The Reshoots – The alternate ending (below) was one of the things that got changed, hence this feature.
- It’s Friggin’ Cold – For some odd reason this “had” to be shot in Regina, Saskatchewan (aka “the coldest place on Earth”) in the middle of winter. -40 below? No thanks.
- A Writer’s Journey – We get a look at how some of Adam “Tex” Davis’ life failures made it on screen.
- A Disaster in the Making – Some of the stunts and pyrotechnics used in the film are explored.
- Tales from the Friend Zone – The cast and crew recount their own “just friend” experiences. Right, like anyone ever wanted Reynolds as “just a friend.”
- The Body Shake – The awkward kiss to hug is looked at which is odd. Evidently this is from Adam Davis’ personal vault.
- The Cheer – If you ever thought being a cheerleader is easy, just take a look at the “making of” one.
- Red Bulb Records – A small peek at Reynolds’ character place of employment.
- Deleted/Alternate Scenes – These are available with or without commentary by Kumble, “Tex” Davis and Chris Bender.
- Red Bulb Records
- Day Date
- The Cheer
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas
- Alternate Ending
- Music Video – “Jamie Smiles” Chris Klein sings the titular song set to a montage of scenes from the film as well as the cast doing some…interesting things.
- Music Video – “Samantha James” – This isn’t so much a music video as it’s Anna Faris somewhat singing the song without any background vocals.
- Gag Reel – Pretty much what we’d expect from this crew, a lot of shenanigans on the set but some of these are pretty funny.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
As mentioned, I simply don’t know how this one eluded me. And that I’d never really heard of it. It didn’t change my life, but it’s better than I thought. I don’t know if it’s trying to be a Christmas movie or a “teen” movie, which is why it might have performed poorly. Who knows, had it done better there’s a good chance it might have been one of the first day-and-date Blu-ray releases? But it didn’t. And it wasn’t. Still, if you’ve been waiting since 2005 for this to arrive on Blu-ray – that wait is over.
