About:

Title: Just Friends
Released: 2005

Fix: rom-com, Christmas, comedy, Ryan Reynolds, early-aughts nostalgia
Platforms: AppleTV (Rent)

Official Summary:

He was a teenage nerd. Now, home for Christmas, a slick exec will reconnect with the girl who changed his life forever.

FYA Summary:

Chris Bender was a high school super nerd. Jamie Palamino was his super cute best friend…and the star player in all his cringy teenage fantasies. Forever scarred by getting “friend-zoned” in high school, Chris is now a super rich, super successful, super douche of a music executive, and has spent the last ten years overcompensating by getting hot and sleeping with every woman he meets. When a fluke private jet accident lands him back in his hometown at Christmas, he sees an opportunity to finally seduce Jamie, but his plans are continuously foiled, and being near her, he can’t help but revert back to his former nerdy self.

Familiar Faces:

Ryan Reynolds as Chris Bender

Guys, this is the role Ryan Reynolds was born to play. He gets to flex his slapstick comedy muscles, but also his actual muscles. He gets to be uber-lovable but also uber-terrible a la his Deadpool character. It’s a win/win.

Amy Smart as Jamie Palamino

This role is really not a stretch for Amy. She’s cute, bubbly, and a little clueless in high school, but grows up to be cute, bubbly and haunted by the idea that she peaked in high school. Also her late nineties/early-aughts outfits are so terribly, wonderfully Delia’s magazine chic.

Anna Faris as Samantha James

Like Ryan’s Chris bender, Samantha James is the role Anna Faris was born to play. She’s the Britney Spears-esque popstar that Chris is tasked with taking cross country when their plane lands in New Jersey, and Anna Faris plays it so over-the-top ridiculously.

Chris Klein as Dusty Dinkleman

Another high school super nerd that grew up to be hot, Chris’ Dusty is ALSO here to woo Jamie Palamino, only he has a guitar. It’s even cringier than you think it will be.

Couch-Sharing Capability: Date Night

This is a rare romantic comedy that guys enjoy too, so grab your beau and snuggle up for date night!

Recommended Level of Inebriation: Boone’s Farm Forever

You definitely don’t need to be drunk to enjoy this movie, but some of us (*ahem* me) need to be drunk to be back in our hometown surrounded by people we went to high school with. This coupled with the early-aughts flashbacks will have you SUPER nostalgic for the first time you got drunk, so grab a Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill and settle in for a good time.

Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Something For Everyone

Everyone wins with Just Friends! The ladies get to drool over Ryan Reynolds and the rom-com levels of swoon. Guys get a slapstick comedy with some light gross-out humor. And as an added bonus: it’s a Christmas movie! This one is required viewing in our house every Christmas – my husband even owns the DVD, but you don’t need it because it’s now available for your streaming pleasure.

Rosemary lives in Little Rock, AR with her husband and cocker spaniel. At 16, she plucked a copy of Sloppy Firsts off the "New Releases" shelf and hasn't stopped reading YA since. She is a brand designer who loves tiki drinks, her mid-century modern house, and obsessive Google mapping.