The iconic 90s sitcom that brought out endless giggles and an envious nature from within every one of us with their quirkiness, craziness, and a tremendous sense of loyalty, one can only dream of, this year graces the big screen after a 25-year wait.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S, created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, ran for a decade long period between 1994 and 2004 and showcased the comedic and bizarre lives of six adults living in Manhattan. The show starred fashionista Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), compulsive organizer Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), a masseuse with a terrifying weird sense of humour Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), sarcastic and funny Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), passionate palaeontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) and our sandwich-loving Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc).
In celebration of the colossal success of the popular television series, United Kingdom cinemas aired the sitcom as a tribute to the show’s 25th anniversary. While most fans were enthusiastically waiting to relish the moments of the much-loved show, it was, however, a disappointing screening, as it did not meet the expectations of eager fans.
The ‘film’ F.R.I.E.N.D.S 25th: The One With The Anniversary aired on the 8, 11 and 15 December and was packaged with four of the series’ best episodes, running for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Each screening had four different episodes.
Fans, however, were expecting bloopers, behind the scenes, and never-before-seen clips from the show. The lack of these fun elements during the film was downright saddening and felt as though audiences were duped into paying £10 to watch four-episode reruns, that could easily be watched on Netflix.
While the film did not send the audience back with a thoroughly satisfying experience, it was still entertaining to watch the four episodes on the big screen. Mimicking the iconic dialogues of each character from the show, crying during moments you already know are sad, and laughing tears at the bizarre moments you may have already watched a 100 times before. F.R.I.E.N.D.S is reliable, for sure.
Keeping aside the absence of providing enthusiasts with scenes that they desired to see, it is not all unpleasant. Seeing the entire cast in their adventurous and reckless elements was a delight; it is a ‘film’ for fans to continue showing support to a show that they love and celebrate the success during its anniversary year.
For any hardcore fan out there, it may be worth spending £10 to sit in a cosy cinema room, binging on the best four episodes all the way chomping on a large pepperoni pizza with a side of a meatball sandwich. For others, maybe not so much.
2 stars
Image: Movie DB
Review: F.R.I.E.N.D.S 25th: The One With The Anniversary (Pt.1-4)
