“Just Friends” (New Line Cinema)
Ryan Reynolds is the star of the new comedy “Just Friends.” During his brief career Reynolds has made some fairly good movies and a bunch of bad ones. He reached his “badness” peak with “Waiting” which was released earlier this year. His new film just about makes up for that horror show of humor. Just about, but not quite.
In “Just Friends” Reynolds plays Chris Brander, a successful record executive who is living the good life in LA. One of his prize clients is a singer named Samantha James (Anna Farris). They are headed to France when bad weather forces them to land at an airport near Chris’ hometown.
Chris rents a car and he and Samantha head for his mom’s house. Chris hasn’t been home very often because when he was in high school he was a real chub. He could have passed for John Candy’s little brother. One of his best friends was a girl named Jamie (Amy Smart). Chris loved her but never got to tell her his true feelings. She considered him her best friend.
Now back home he gets a chance to see her again. He also runs into Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein), another high school classmate. Dusty seems to be interested in Jamie too. It soon becomes a battle between Dusty and Chris for Jamie’s heart.
One of the funnier subplots in the movie concerns Chris and the relationship he has with his younger brother Mike (Christopher Marquette). They are constantly hitting, slapping and yelling at each other. It is slapstick comedy at its best,
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and sexual situations.
Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart make a solid fun couple in this film. Klein is a complete surprise as the underhanded Dusty, and Anna Farris steals the show as the bizarro Samantha.
The film has one funny sequence following another. It isn’t classic comedy but it isn’t low humor either. It is just a pleasant way to get some laughs and enjoy being entertained.
I scored “Just Friends” a platonic 6 out of 10.
