Though I was expecting "Just Friends" to be funny, I thought it would just be a string of stupid jokes strung together to make a funny, yet pointless movie. I was very wrong. This film was not only hilarious, it was well written, so you understood each characters emotions and could identify with them.

The opening scene shows Chris, played by Ryan Reynolds (Amityville Horror, Waiting), getting ready to go to a party with his best friends. However he is hoping that on this particular night his friend Jamie, played by Amy Smart (Road Trip, The Battle of Shaker Heights), would become his girlfriend. After a brief monologue about how they might get together we see Chris' face for the first time and you cannot help but laugh. He is chubby, with curly hair and a retainer, causing him to lisp a little. It does not stop there. Moments after you see Chris for the first time he begins lip syncing to Kenny Roger's "I Swear." This all happens in the first few minutes of the film and already you are laughing hysterically.

After he confesses to Jamie that he wants to be her boyfriend, she tells him that she just wants to be friends. This and the constant taunting of others drives Chris to leave his small New Jersey town, to pursue bigger things in LA. Ten Years later he is no longer a heavy-set geek. He is now an egocentric Record Executive whose love life consists of frequent one-night stands. Why such the dramatic change in personality? He promised himself that if he were ever interested in a woman he would NEVER fall into "the friend zone" again.

This is what causes Chris to meet Samantha James, played by Anna Faris (Scary Movie 1, 2, 3), an Ashlee Simpson type Pop Star who has her mind set on going to Paris with Chris. However while on the plane Samantha manages to set a container of salmon on fire and the plane is forced to land. Where do they land? None other than Chris' Hometown in New Jersey.

This film is absolutely hilarious and had be laughing from start to finish. Wether it was the four Christmas Carolers who would randomly walk by in the background of several scenes, or Samantha James eating toothpaste after a bad head injury the comic scenes are original an priceless. But overall it is the characters that hold the film together. One of my favorites was Dusty (Dinkleman) Lee, played by Chris Klein (American pie), who had been labeled a "crazy guy" in High School and has now turned into a sleaze. The conflict between Chris and Dusty is funny, but watching Dusty pretend to be a nice guy, just so he can go out with Jamie makes you hate his character. Chris Klein does a perfect job in this role.

Overall this was a hysterical holiday film that is a must see.

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