It feels like we hear about a Friends reunion every couple
of years and every time it turns out to be a rumour or a half-assed publicity
stunt, with maybe five out of the six friends present. This last one got an HBO
announcement, a lot of buzz and the entire main cast signing on. I was almost
as excited as Matt LeBlanc looked during the special. I think we were all
hoping for a reunion movie, or even an episode, where we would get the actual
characters rather than their celebrity counterparts. Because as much as I love
Lisa Kudrow since learning she is Conan O’Brien’s ex (which makes too much
sense), I wanted to see Regina Phalange. But that is the thing; we would all
tune in even if they spent 110 minutes staring at a wall.
I think it has been already commented on plenty, but oh my
god, the Botox shared among these six people could kill a baby jaguar. I think
it is interesting that Lisa Kudrow, who I think was frequently overlooked in
comparison to the other two beauty icons, has aged the best. Or had the best
surgery, anyway. Courteney Cox has frequently spoken out about how her plastic
surgeries had went overboard and she is actually trying to damage control the
situation, but Aniston is in similar turmoil as far as I am concerned. She is
sporting the ‘I’m allergic to shellfish, but love me some good shrimp’ look.
David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry too. It might just be me but I even think
that their speech is a bit off from all the deceased nerves in their faces. What
worries me is that these are rich, famous, powerful people and that is the best
surgery money could buy; what am I to expect from my own inevitable plastic
surgery? One might expect that their very result would put me off, but I am
aware of how much I frown and me and said frown have another ten years, at
best, before we call it quits. The best looking one is Matt LeBlanc and I think
it is those couple of extra kilos Aniston teased him about. We have a saying in
my family, that growing up means making a choice between your butt and your
face; only one of the two can look youthful. LeBlanc has gone for face and I
think that is the best course, really. Plus you get to eat more. Also, while we
got guest appearances from Gunther to the barbershop quartet that Ross sent to
Rachel’s office once, Paul Rudd was curiously missing. I’m taking bets for
which cast member vetoed the unaging actor. My money is on Aniston. These are all cheap shots; of course they grew old and they didn't owe any of us to look great forever.
One thing that was a bit disappointing is how much the stars
did not remember. And I don’t mean the crazy stuff me and my grammar-Nazi
friend reference to one another, I mean Mr Heckles. Jennifer Aniston did not
remember his name. He had a cameo in Breaking Bad and I am pretty sure his name
was still Mr Heckles in sunny Albuquerque. And let’s say that you are as
successful as Aniston and have every right to not remember everything
Friends-related at any given moment; have a read through a cheat sheet
before the special. I am sure they were paid good money for it. I would say
that another possibility is just that they were pretending not to remember, but
if those table reads showed us anything is that the casts’ best acting days
were behind them. Why am I so bitter, anyway?
Was it particularly worth watching then? I mean there were
some slightly unnecessary guest appearances in the form of a fashion show and
one very unnecessary appearance in the form of James Corden throughout the
thing. Why James Corden? Literally anyone else would be better suited, at the
very least in terms of nationality. There was one revelation that was worth the
time though; apparently Aniston and Schwimmer were actually in love during
those first seasons, which probably helped their on-screen chemistry as the
famous ‘will they, won’t they’ couple. Now, we were told it never formulated
into anything else and no one else indulged, but to be fair, it is not as if we
can fact check any of them. Unless one of them loses all their money and writes
a tell-all autobiography. This time, my money is on Matthew Perry. I would read
it too; I love the Matthew Perry.
I sound very negative towards the whole thing, but truth be told, I cried about five times, laughed a lot more and will now surely start rewatching Friends (I’ve actually already done this by the time this was posted). This sitcom is a moment in pop culture history, it unites and comforts us and is still pretty darn funny. I know some jokes feel outdated and offensive, but I think anyone not looking for trouble can see that it was all well intended. Friends feel exactly like friends and that is what gets us fans to tune in endless reruns as well as 110 minutes of James Corden trying to be funny.
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