Before I start this article, Id just like to make it clear that I did, do and always will LOVE
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Seriously, Im the type of hardcore fan who would buy the videos as a kid (God, remember those?) watch the episodes, rewind the tape and watch it all over again. Then, when videos became extinct, I replaced them all with the DVD boxsets, even though the show was, and still is, on TV non-stop. God knows what Ill do when they stop making DVDs. Anyway, therefore, its with a bit of a heavy heart that I write this because, year after year, us
Friends fans, the world over, scour the Internet, with that glimmer of hope in our eyes, for a morsel of news that might give some indication to the possibility of a reunion/movie. With next year being ten years since filming ended, were still left disappointed. But, recently, Ive come to realise that I dont think a reunion movie (a la
Sex and the City) would actually be of any benefit to the series but would, in fact, be a detriment to it. Here are my reasons for thinking this.
5. Its A Sitcom
To begin with, the show was a situation comedy (obviously) which means it relied on its physical environment for its comedic entertainment. The show has a very stage feel to it and used it to its full advantage. The main characters very rarely veered away from their natural habits; Monica and Rachels Apartment; Chandler and Joeys Apartment; Ross Apartment; Central Perk; and we, as a faithful audience came to love their homes and hangouts almost as much as the character. Its often the case that reunion movies need to be something of a spectacle both to draw in revenue and to revitalise and out-do the storylines from the series. Think
Sex and the City in Abu Dhabi or
The Inbetweeners in Malia. Yeah I suppose they could send the
Friends somewhere again (like London, Atlantic City or the Bahamas), but, for me at least, the whole nostalgia satisfaction would come from the safe familiarity of the good old days. I want to see Apartment 19 and 20 and Central Perk as they are now. However, considering Monica and Chandler dont even live in the city anymore, Im not confident they could really find a story worthy enough to compensate for the losses. In addition, the
Friends writers were particularly keen on using live studios and episode, famously, took twice as long to film than normal. In fact, the show was criticised for having the often financially struggling characters living in large, New York apartments. The writers had explained that the sets were bigger as to allow the live audience to see the action as much as possible. So, its pretty hard to deny that this sort of environment would be lost, or greatly diminished. I dont pretend to be an expert on filming techniques but would they suddenly have a multi-cam set-up with four walls and no laugh track? They would have to right? Has a sitcom ever actually been adapted for film? Im not sure but if so, its not a regular occurrence and, honestly, I think experimenting with
Friends famous format would result in the magic being lost in mix.