It’s hard to believe that the Christmas comedy Just Friends (2005), directed by Roger Kumble, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary already this year. Not a big success at the box office at the time (only earning 50.9 million), it has slowly built a bit of a cult status over the last two decades.
Though not received particularly well by critics at the time either, its joyous comedy, romantic elements, and Ryan Reynolds centred ensemble cast make for a most entertaining watch each and every holiday season.
After a disastrous high school experience as a constantly bullied overweight nerd, the highly driven Chris Brander (Reynolds – Deadpool) flees life in New Jersey and rebounds successfully in Los Angeles as a rather influential young record producer. Following quite the heated flight aimed at Paris with his needy and sexually driven new pop star client Samantha James (Anna Faris – Scary Movie), they are forced to make an emergency landing in, of all places. . . New Jersey.
Forcing him to return home for the first time in ages, it also just so happens to be the Christmas season. Giving Chris the chance to catch up with his flighty mother Carol (Julie Hagerty – Airplane!), rival younger brother Mike (Christopher Rodriguez Marquette), childhood friends and now married Clark (Fred Ewanuick – Corner Gas) and Darla (Amy Matysio), another former high school nerd in Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein – American Pie) and his longtime love that has never been interested in him as anything more than a friend – Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). . . there’s no denying that it will certainly make for an intriguing couple of days.
As much as it is an unwanted stop for the Hollywood producer, now that he has become a successful womanizer in the City of Angels, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to get out of his longtime ‘friend zone’ with Jamie and into a legit relationship with the added benefits that come along with it.
Having to deal with his ultra competitive brother, his needy up and coming pop wannabe celeb ‘girlfriend’, and the dreaded Dusty Dinkleman . . . who, like Chris, has become a more attractive hunter of sorts in the realm of women, what would seem like an easy task for the Hollywood elite might be anything but. Will Chris finally be able to break trough the friendship barrier with Jamie? Might Dinkleman have something to say about that? Also, and perhaps more importantly, can Chris rectify things with his family?
Filled with plenty of holiday joy and cheeky laughter, Reynolds brings his now classic charm that is oh so famous thanks to the growth of the Deadpool franchise, Faris develops a rather gullible yet aggressive and self centred musician who is stuck in a place she really doesn’t want to be, and the outrageous Klein – who is so eager to score he even pulls out a twelve string guitar and decade old song. Featuring many standout moments, be on the lookout for a playful pond hockey scene that turns ultra competitive, the impressively accurate boisterous relationship between the brothers, and the very un-Christmas-like hullabaloo that leads to the destruction of the Palamino family’s award winning outdoor decorations – all are laugh out loud comedy gold, frankincense, and mirth.
A movie that will hopefully continue to grow its cult classic status around the Christmas season (a 2023 commercial certainly made fans happy), Just Friends should most definitely appeal to fans of comedy, sticky rom-coms, chaotic family functions, satires of Hollywood types, or anyone who simply loves holiday related films. It must also be noted that Alanis Morissette had a cameo that was actually cut from the picture (too bad). Another thing that might not be noticed other than by eagle-eyed Canadians is that most of the secondary supporting cast are played by Canadian actors – as this one was shot in Saskatchewan (north of the border), not New Jersey. So, if you haven’t seen this one, forgive yourself by joining in on its growing cult status by giving it a watch this December – it will quickly become more than just a friend.