Just Friends

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Argues on behalf of the Darwinian theory that all of life imitates high school...But the argument is only halfhearted. Just Friends is much more interested in - and hilarious about - the small nostalgias of suburbia.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

A thoroughly enjoyable three-or four-gimmick comedy.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

The infectious high spirits of the performers help to carry the day.

Variety Justin Chang

A surprisingly shrewd and energetic romantic comedy.

Village Voice Mikael Wood

A refreshingly mean-spirited breeze through both the holiday movie and romantic-comedy checklists.

USA Today Mike Clark

Still, there are some funny surprises, from skewering overdone Christmas decorations to casting Chris Klein as a creep.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Funnier than any low-rent rip-off of "There's Something About Mary" has a right to be. It's crass, it's unsophisticated, it aims right for the slapsticky pleasure center of the under-30 moviegoer's brain. So sue me, I laughed. A lot.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

A welcome antidote to the usual seasonal sweetness.

Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand

Thanks to director Roger Kumble's breathless pacing, Just Friends manages to outrun most of its flaws. And its likable leads - the coolly clownish Reynolds and the feline-faced Smart - fill this empty Christmas stocking with glee.

Empire Helen O'Hara

Funnier than it has any right to be, thanks to Reynolds’ charisma and Faris’ bubbleheaded blonde.

Film Threat Michael Ferraro

Despite the fact that we are watching Reynolds do the same schtick yet again, director Roger Kumble never lets him outlast a joke or take a gimmick too far. The plot is nothing short of formulaic but what comedy of this nature isn’t these days?

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Whenever Just Friends threatens to become a total drag, Faris bops onscreen for some serious comic business - either saving the film, or making things worse by pointing out what could have been.

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

This is superficial entertainment to say the least. But if you're looking for laughs, then Just Friends is just fine.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

But alas, even with young talent, director Roger Kumble and writer Adam Davis rely way too heavily (no pun intended) on the fat-suit joke and titular impasse.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Chris Klein steals the film as a rival ex-nerd, now the most gorgeous guy in town, while director Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions) cribs from the Farrelly brothers and the Three Stooges.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Where are our Tracy/Hepburn screwball combos? Part of the appeal of "Wedding Crashers" was that Isla Fisher truly did have the comedic chops to match Vince Vaughn, and Just Friends suggests that Reynolds and Faris have potential greatness together too. Just not so much in this film.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

In all, it's not too bad and it's not too long.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

Although set 10 years after high school graduation, Just Friends is a dumb teen comedy.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

The tantalizing promise of 90 heavenly minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a roly-poly fatsuit and unconvincing tubby make-up (which make him look like a younger version of Martin Short's Jiminy Glick) proves a case of the old bait-and-switch.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

This is a standard-issue gross Hollywood knockabout comedy in which slapstick antics have been piled up with a steam shovel and driven home with a sledgehammer. Reynolds and Smart are game and even dimensional, but all others are stuck playing tiresome, obnoxious characters.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

And though Samantha is written as a sly spoof of Ashlee Simpson, Faris frantically overplays her. She might have taken a tip from Smart, a lovely, understated actress who wastes too much time in lousy films.

New York Post Kyle Smith

There's a line between rogue and jerk, and Reynolds lives on the wrong side of it. As Dusty, Klein is such a smooth operator that he could have been - should have been - the lead.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Ironically, Faris' Samantha is the most convincing personality in the mix: She's a grotesque caricature of Courtney Love by way of Nancy Spungen, a vulgar, selfish monster of unbridled id, but you always know where she's coming from.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Overcompensates for its sloppiness with loud, knockabout farce.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Just lousy.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The script, by Adam "Tex" Vegas, ricochets between over-earnest romantic comedy staples and a noticeable lack of any consistent tone for Reynolds’ character.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

There are bad movies and annoying movies, and this one contains elements of both.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

There is not a spark of chemistry between Chris and Jamie, although the plot clearly requires them to fall in love. There is so much chemistry involved with the Anna Faris character, however, that she can set off multiple chain reactions with herself, if you see what I mean.