Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.
Just Friends is a serviceable holiday rom-com that leans heavily on familiar tropes: the ugly-duckling transformation, the hometown Christmas return, and the slow-burn rekindled romance. Ryan Reynolds brings genuine comedic energy and charisma to the lead role, elevating the material above its formulaic script, and Anna Faris steals scenes as the unhinged pop star. The cinematography is entirely functional with nothing distinctive to offer. The plot recycles well-worn beats without much surprise, and the novelty is low — this is very much a by-the-numbers rom-com of its era. The ending delivers the expected feel-good resolution competently enough for the genre. Overall a watchable but unremarkable holiday comedy.