5. Lose Several Hundred Pounds, Make A Name For Yourself, And The "Girl Of Your Dreams" Will Be Yours - Just Friends
Just Friends is a mortifying romantic comedy that feels like a revenge fantasy written by someone who was harshly burned by a girl in his youth. Chris (Ryan Reynolds) used to be a fat kid in his youth, and so could never seal the deal with the object of his affections during high-school, Jamie (Amy Smart). However, in the present day, Chris is a good-looking, successful guy, and by chance bumps into Jamie, who hasn't been doing so great since high school; she lives with her parents and is generally just a bit of a loser. It's easy to see the moral of the film; it's only when he's lost weight, got a good job and essentially resembled his original self in absolutely no way whatsoever that Jamie even considers him as a romantic prospect. What's bothersome is that the film doesn't really milk the irony of Chris' success against Jamie's failures; instead, it appears to suggest a certain nobility in Chris holding a candle for a woman who...hasn't really learned anything about her shallow ways at all. Rather than get on with his now-awesome life, Chris returns to the person who caused him so much anxiety as a youngster, and any psychologist will tell you that's not a good thing to be doing.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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