Movie #334 - Just Friends

Just Friends
2005 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 36 min
Director: Roger Kumble
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein, Chris Marquette, Julie Hagerty, Fred Ewanuick, Amy Matysio

Ryan Reynolds in a fat suit is the opposite of a good thing, in case you were wondering.  It's funny, for sure, but I much prefer the post-high school version of his character. Just sayin'.

This is a cute rom-com. High school best friends attempt to address their unexplored, deeper feelings for each other after 10 years apart.  Reynolds' new music career forces him to bring along Anna Faris (an Ashlee Simpson-like rock star) and lots of classic misunderstandings and misfires occur.  Faris is fabulous, as usual, embracing her crazy character and playing some of the worst music you'll ever hear.  Julie Hagerty plays the same character she always plays, the airhead/adorable woman who's too sweet to be annoying.

Reynolds and Amy Smart are a good match, with some decent chemistry, and they keep you rooting for them.  All in all, this has the right elements to make a good entry to the rom-com category.  Fun to watch, characters you enjoy, and an ending that pays off.

Movie #303 - The In-Laws

The In-Laws
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Andrew Fleming
Starring: Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Ryan Reynolds, Robin Tunney, Lindsay Sloane, Maria Ricossa

This movie uses a similar framework to Meet the Parents but with a different spin.  The parents of a young to-be-married couple are getting to know each other when the groom's father (Michael Douglas) gets the bride' father (Albert Brooks) into a whole lot of trouble.  Douglas is an undercover CIA agent - waaaaay undercover - and Brooks gets accidentally dragged along.  He's nervous, uptight, and scared of almost everything, adding to the awkward comedy of this movie.

The young couple is played by Ryan Reynolds and the chick that played Big Red in Bring It On. Reynolds is like a little baby in this movie.  They're okay, but not really a focal point of the film, just necessary players to set up this wacky premise.

It's a fun movie, nothing extraordinary, but the chemistry between Douglas and Brooks is worth watching.

Movie #254 - Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004 - Rated R - 1 hr 28 min
Director: Denny Leiner
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry, Fred Willard, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Neil Patrick Harris, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, David Krumholtz, Anthony Andersen

The premise of this movie is not one that I'd normally expect to enjoy.  Two stoners get the munchies and encounter a series of strange obstacles and people on their way to the nearest White Castle. On paper, not that funny.  In reality, and with NPH in pre-HIMYM Barney effect, this is hysterical.

Some of the characters are a bit over the top (for example, Freakshow) but for the most part, this is just a fun adventure to go on.  The creators also did Dude, Where's My Car? and really seemed to learn from their first attempt.  They kept the pieces of the formula that worked and just improved on it.  A much better output.  And they even give us a nudge at the end...

"Dude, where's my car?"
"Yeah, where's his car, dude?"

Cute.

Movie #156 - Definitely, Maybe

Definitely, Maybe
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 52 min
Director: Adam Brooks
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Rachel Weisz, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher

Ryan Reynolds as a charming dad who loves his daughter is like porn for women, for starters.  How on earth he's in the middle of a divorce is beyond me.

The interactions with that daughter (Abigail Breslin) are adorable.  She begs for the story of how he met her mother and then interrupts with her advanced-for-her-years commentary on the subject.  Calling your dad the "man version of a slut" is a joy most daughters never experience.  And counseling your dad on repairing his broken love life is another such luxury.  Both are handled expertly by Reynolds's Will Hayes without faultering.

So who will it be? Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, or Elizabeth Banks? You get to root for your favorite, see if you can guess which woman is his soon-to-be-ex-wife and which one is the one that got away?  And can he stop her from getting away again?

It's cute, it's funny, and it's a great one to watch just in time for Valentine's Day next month.

Movie #80 - Blade Trinity

Blade Trinity
New Line Cinema
2004 - Rated R - 1 hr 53 min
Director: David S. Goyer
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Parker Posey, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds

Whistler's gotta step messing with us.  He doesn't die, apparently, and he's got a secret daughter.  No, not one of the ones killed by vampires, a self proclaimed "other daughter, born out of wedlock" and she's Jessica Biel! Surprise!

Thank God, too, because Blade's getting old now and he needs the Mickey Mouse Club to help him kill vampires now.  Honeslty, Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel have some cool action scenes but any scene with Reynolds quickly degenerates into a comedy special. It's not horrible but I don't really see it fitting within the Blade franchise framework.  Maybe Reynolds and Snipes, if they wanted to get these two in a movie together so badly, should have done a stand alone buddy-cop movie or whatever. The banter between them is kinda fun, but mostly I think Blade Trinity is just gratuitous cinematic noise.