The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Film Review
THERE is a very good chance that in the not-so-distant future, millennials will make a case for “Game of Thrones” to be named the greatest series of all time.
I have already started to hear the whispers, with words like ‘iconic’ and ‘revolutionary’ being used to describe the fantasy drama series.
Today, I do not wish to argue against the merits of the show, but just to give an alternative opinion.
After a good 17 years, the hugely anticipated “Friends Reunion” special is finally out.
It lives up to expectations.
The 103-minute show is a reminder why the sitcom was such a huge hit back in the 90s (1994-2004) and why it deserves, at the very least, a footnote in the aforesaid discussion.
It does not take a rocket scientist to decipher that I am a huge fan of the show, but let us break down the numbers before we get into the nitty-gritties.
Between 1994 and 2004, “Friends” made 236 episodes airing in over 220 territories.
“Friends” was television’s number one comedy for six straight seasons, averaging 25-million viewers per week.
Approximately 52-million people watched the finale, which aired on May 6, 2004, and the show has been watched over a 100-billion times in re-runs across all platforms.
Now, after years of teases from the original cast and petitions from fans, the reunion special is finally here.
Affectionately known as ‘The One They Get Back Together’, the special sees the original cast – Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer – revisit their old set.
They go down memory lane of their favourite scenes, stories and experiences.
We are also treated to a slew of celebrity and cameo appearances from old and new friends.
Wait a minute!
Let me start off with a few negatives, which at this point is just basically nitpicking.
Given the format of the special, I totally understand the need for a host to act as a chaperone of sorts, but I do not believe that James Corden was the ideal choice.
He appeared to be winging it, to borrow from the more colloquial term, and did not appear to quite understand the significance of the gig.
The English host brought nothing new to the proceedings.
Many times, I found his questions to be shallow and there are so many issues that he either did draw attention to or simply glossed over.
While some of the appearances by the former guest stars were greatly appreciated, there was one big omission.
For all secondary characters and guest stars of the show, Paul Rudd has the biggest claim to being the show’s unofficial seventh wheel.
As the love interest and eventual husband to Lisa Kudrow’s character (Phoebe), Rudd featured in a total of 18 episodes (2002-2004) as the charming and always funny Mike Hannigan.
Rudd was a hit with fans, myself included, and given that he ends marrying a key cast member, I believe the 52-year-old comedian deserved more than just a passing quip, and clip, at the end.
He surely deserved just as much as Larry Hankin (Mr Heckles), and certainly more than Tom Selleck (Richard Burke).
There was also the issue of Matthew Perry’s health, which is not so much negative on the show than it is just a sad point.
However, it was neither addressed nor touched on in the special.
And now to the good stuff.
One of the biggest takeaways of the special is how it stays true to the strengths of the show.
The series, as told by co-creator David Crane, was, in essence, a celebration of friendship.
The stories of the tight bond that exists between Cox, Aniston and Kudrow is now a thing of legend, and the special paid tribute to that, and then some.
From the get-go, we see all six original cast members pick up exactly where they left off from the days of shooting the show.
The banter is enough to make a grown man smile.
The cast recreate some of their favourite scenes, which, by coincidence, happens to be some of our (fans) favourite scenes.
In a word, “Pivot”.
The special also offers some insight into the series itself.
As mentioned before, the series is loosely based on co-creators, Crane and Marta Kauffman, and their gang of friends.
Apparently, life imitates art for Schwimmer and Aniston, as with their characters Ross and Rachael, the two were apparently crushing (another colloquial term) on each other during the show’s early seasons.
Sadly, neither acted on it, but the result was the chemistry they exhibited onscreen.
We also learn that no one really knows what Chandler did for a living and that Ross and Rachael really were on a break.
Much like she did for the large part of the show’s run, Kudrow steals the show during the special by delivering a vintage act.
Having some celebrities, and fans alike, share what the show meant to them and some of their favourite episodes and memories was another high mark of the special.
