Just Friends is a 2005 romantic comedy Christmas film directed by Roger Kumble. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein, and Chris Marquette and deals with friend zone relationships.
In 1995, Chris Brander (Reynolds), an obese high school student, attends his best friend's, Jamie Palamino's (Smart), graduation party. Chris has been secretly in love with Jamie their entire friendship as he finally confesses his feelings to her by writing them in her yearbook. However, when he tries to return her yearbook to her, it is swiped by Jamie's ex-boyfriend, Tim (Ty Olsson), and he reads it aloud at the party. Chris is publicly humiliated—and, to top it off, Jamie doesn't reciprocate his feelings, instead giving him a kiss on the cheek and saying she loves him like a brother. Jamie yells at their classmates for making fun of him, but Chris flees the party on his bicycle in tears, vowing to leave town and become more successful than all of them.
Ten years later, Chris is handsome and successful with a thriving career as a record producer in Los Angeles and a reputation as a ferocious womanizer. Just before Christmas, his boss (Stephen Root) orders him to take up-and-coming pop singer Samantha James (Faris) to Paris so that she will sign with their company. Chris goes reluctantly, as he has a history with the self-obsessed James. During their trip to Paris, Samantha sets her private jet on fire by neglecting to remove the aluminum foil from a plate of tuna she has placed in the plane's microwave oven. This necessitates an emergency landing in New Jersey, not far from Chris's hometown. He takes her to his mother's house for the night, causing him to face the humiliating high school years he left behind and his unresolved feelings for Jamie.
Stepping out to the local bar, Chris runs into some old friends, including Jamie, who is working her way through graduate school as a bartender. Thinking that he can finally get his high school love out of his system, Chris plans to woo and seduce Jamie. However, a number of unexpected problems and the growing realization that his friendship with Jamie actually did mean something to him keep getting in the way. He bonds with Jamie on several occasions. During as friendly "day-date" of ice skating, Chris is injured in a game of hockey resulting in him being taken away in an ambulance. Jamie is then reunited with the paramedic, Dusty Dinkleman (Klein), who use to be a nerdy high school student also in love with her.
Meanwhile, Chris leaves his brother, Mike (Marquett), to watch over Samantha. However, Samantha becomes jealous of Chris leaving her for Jamie destroys believing that she and Chris are in a relationship. In an angry rage, Samantha destroys Jamie's family's Christmas decorations. Embarrassed, Chris returns home only to be visited by Jamie. She reveals that she is not mad at Chris and plans to spend the night with him, but Chris is still unable to make a move on Jamie resulting in them just going to sleep.
The next day, Chris catches Dusty necking with a nurse. Dusty reveals to Chris that he only plans to have sex with Jamie and then humiliate her like he felt she used to do to him. Chris tries to warn Jamie about Dusty during a children's Christmas pageant, but instead ends up attacking Dusty, ruining the play. Jamie won't listen when he tells her of the nurse, thus leaving Chris angry and disappointed with Jamie and her family. Chris returns to LA only to realize that Jamie is the one for him. Chris returns back to New Jersey and goes to Jamie's house and finally declares his true love for her and kisses Jamie as the neighbourhood kids watch. The neighbourhood kids then show a very similar girl - sweet friend & bad boy scenario.
Alanis Morissette, then Reynolds's fiancée, made a cameo appearance as "herself" as a former client of his character. This came about when the casting director said "we need an Alanis Morissette type" and Reynolds said he knew someone who would fit. This scene was deleted, however, and is only available on the DVD.
The film was shot in Los Angeles and parts of Saskatchewan.
Most songs in the film were written by Adam Schiff, except "When Jamie Smiles", which was written by H. Scott Salinas.
At the U.S. Box office, the film opened at #6 raking in $9,191,331 USD in its first opening weekend, the film managed to crack the top five the following week with an average of $2,236 per theater.
