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By CityJust Friends
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Just FriendsA Look at Life in the "Friend Zone"
2005-11-30
Article Written by: Sami Jo
With his films The Sweetest Thing and Cruel Intentions , director Roger Kumble has proven that he has a knack for bringing modern dating situations—whether they are comedic or dramatic—to the big screen. His most recently film, Just Friends , finds success in the fact that everyone has, at some point in their life,wanted to be more than just friends with someone. Kumble brings this specific tale of the “friend zone” to an overweight geek, Chris (Ryan Reynolds), and his ever-so-popular best friend, Jamie (Amy Smart). Chris returns to his hometown in New Jersey , after being gone for ten years, to face those he left behind. Even though he lost the weight and became an ultra-hot music executive in Los Angeles , Chris finds himself in the exact same place he was when left; he's in the “friend zone” with Jamie and still getting beaten up by his little brother, Mike (Chris Marquette).
It would be criminal to give Kumble all the credit for the success of this film, though. Adam " Tex " Davis provided the director with a hilarious script that featured well-written characters and a solid storyline, and Coreen Mayrs , Brenda McCormick and Rick Montgomery worked together to find an amusing cast. Ryan Reynolds' ( Waiting… ) facial expressions alone could keep a person laughing throughout the film. Not to mention his rendition of All-4-One's song "I Swear." Chris Cline ( American Pie ) plays another dweeb gone hottie, and takes the audience from loving his character to hating him with no emotional exertion. Chris Marquette ( The Girl Next Door ) has the irritating little brother role down to a science. At this point I would like to stop and thank my parents for not having any more kids. Luckily, these three performances were great because the ladies in this film left more than a little to de desired. Amy Smart ( Starsky & Hutch ) was boring and Anna Faris ( Waiting… ) was annoying in her interpretation of Samantha James – a famous celebrity that wishes to cross-market into the music field. I would like to point out at this time that there is a difference between a character being annoying and an actress being annoying. For example, Kimmie was mega-irritating in My Best Friend's Wedding , but Cameron Diaz made her so lovable that you really only needed to shake her a little. However, in Just Friends , Samantha needs to be shot.
Final Thought: I guarantee that at some point in your life, this film has been the story of your life.
