Friends reunion 'pointless' and 'bloated' – but with 'flashes' of cast magic

The critics’ reviews are in for the Friends reunion, and the special a “decidedly mixed bag”, according to The Guardian.

As the original sitcom cast of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer reunited for a fly-on-the-wall documentary, followed by a Q&A session hosted by James Corden, critics have branded the show “bloated” with “tiresome filler”.

The one-off special is available to stream on HBO Max, and sees the cast return to the original set to relive the nostalgia that captured the hearts of the world.

And many critics appear to agree that this documentary section is by far the special’s most successful, with The Guardian writing that the six cast members “play off each other with an easy, unfakeable camaraderie.”

The Independent, meanwhile, says it’s “lovely” to see the actors’ individual reactions to a return, with Jennifer having “the deepest emotional attachment to the series […] as if she secretly runs a Friends fansite.”

Lisa, who played Phoebe, meanwhile “seems to have barely watched the show”.

But the general consensus seems to be that James Corden wasn’t the best choice for the show.

Entertainment Weekly branded his interview “banal”, while The Hollywood Reporter says he was only able to elicit “superficial conversations” from the cast – such as ‘Were Ross and Rachel on a break?’ and which of the cast members laughed the loudest.

Entertainment Weekly’s review admitted that though there were “flashes of reunion magic”, “the bloated, 104-minute (!) special sandwiches [them] between a lot of silly, tiresome filler.”

And Variety added: “Corden weirdness eventually devolves into a fashion show that can only be described as ‘unhinged’.”

Featuring stars like Cara Delevingne in the holiday armadillo costume and Justin Bieber as ‘Spudnik’, “unhinged” might just be the word.

Cindy Crawford also pops up – sporting Ross’s famous leather trousers.

The Guardian further speculate that a strange cameo from David Beckham, who recaps his favourite scene, appears to be wedged into the special “for seemingly no other reason than he is mates with Corden.”

Even Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai popped up to describe her best friend as “Joey with a hint of Phoebe”, while K-Pop boyband BTS also attribute Friends to their learning English.

Variety also speculated that Matthew Perry – who struggled with addiction during the original Friends filming – brought “palpable unease” to the special episode.

The publication reported: “When his castmates talk about staying in touch with each other, he cracks a joke about how he doesn’t hear ‘from anyone’ so dryly that it’s impossible to tell if it’s actually a joke.”

And The Independent noted: “Perry, who has famously battled his demons, is the most reserved of the six – probably because of the rumoured dental surgery he had right before filming.

“You leave the reunion just wanting the best for him.”

CNN branded the special “big, slightly bloated, and unapologetically nostalgic to fans”, adding: “Working best when it lets the cast casually reminisce, while getting carried away with cameos, some of which, well, couldn’t be more random.”

And IndieWire blasted its hiring of James Corden, calling it “an immediate red flag”.

“Trotting out The Late Late Show host to toss softballs at the cast and cackle hysterically at mundane gossip is exactly the kind of thing that contributes to the perception of Friends as shallow and superficial,” the publication wrote.

“Random celebs vouch for the show’s bona fides, as if their fandom somehow speaks to the shows value. […] Seriously: Why is David Beckham here?”

The Friends Reunion is available to stream on HBO Max from Thursday, May 27

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk