Directed by: Roger Kumble
Written by:Adam Davis
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein, Christopher Marquette, Julie Hagerty
Released: February 9, 2006
Grade: C+

Chris Brander (Reynolds) was once an overweight teenager with a massive crush on his best friend, Jamie Palamino (Smart).  They spent plenty of time together but Jamie never showed an interest in anything more and Chris didn’t have the confidence to ask.  Finally deciding to reveal his feeling at their high school graduation party, Chris was left with a broken heart.  Jamie just wanted to be friends and everyone at the party had a good laugh at Chris’s expense.

Now living in Hollywood, Chris has slimmed down and has the image of success.  Ten years has passed since that forgettable night and Chris now works as a music producer in Hollywood.  His latest client is Samantha James (Faris), a ditsy, hyperactive musician.  Flying with Samantha to Paris, Chris’s past is about to come flooding back.  A problem with the plane sees it diverted to his home in New Jersey and they’ll have to spend the night.  At a local bar, he just so happens to bump into… Jamie Palamino.

For the next few days, Chris and Jamie’s friendship is rekindled.  They hang out together, talk about the past and everything is as it was ten years ago.  For Chris, he’s now faced with the same problem he had ten years ago.  He loves Jamie but is he stuck in limbo again?  How does she feel about him after all this time?  There’s no time to waste because another man from Jamie’s past (Klein) has reappeared and is proving to be stiff competition.

We’ve probably all heard the words “let’s just be friends” and on paper, this doesn’t sound like a bad idea for a comedy movie.  Sadly, there aren’t many laughs.  The two funniest characters are supporting – Anna Faris as Samantha and Christopher Marquette as Chris’s brother, Dusty.  We don’t see enough of them however with the film focusing on the tiresome couple of Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart.

I appreciate that it’s not easy to make a good comedy but you need more material than this.  It’d be a funny skit on say, Saturday Night Live, but it can’t hold my attention for 90 minutes.