Though now an “A”-list star, it took Ryan Reynolds an awfully long time to get to that status. This elevation in fame didn’t come without a whole lot of effort on Reynolds’ part.

2005 offers an example of Reynolds’ work ethic. He starred in three movies that year: the ensemble comedy Waiting, the remake Amityville Horror and the rom-com Just Friends.

Thanks to a fairly low budget – and franchise brand recognition - Amityville did reasonably well, though its $65 million left it only in 38th place at the US box office. Waiting went nowhere, as it brought in $16 million US and landed in 130th place.

With a $32 million US take and a spot in 85th place, Just Friends fell between these two. None of these qualified as a legit hit, though, and Reynolds’ career stayed left in “B”-level land until years later.

In high school, chubby and introverted Chris Brander (Reynolds) maintained a major crush on lovely Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). However, she viewed him simply as “just friends”.

Chris lost the weight and 10 years later finds himself a sexy, successful music executive who can get any woman he wants – except perhaps Jamie. When he returns home, he finds himself smitten again and tries to finally win over Jennifer, though he vies against former classmate– and fellow one-time nerd turned hottie - Dusty Dinkleman (Chris Klein).

With the hindsight of 20 years, one can see how Chris represents the “Ryan Reynolds Character” that would become his staple. Chris comes with the smarmy and sarcastic vibe we expect from Reynolds.

Reynolds doesn’t lean quite as hard into that persona as we expect, though I suspect he toned down the performance here. He provided an ultra-smug take on his role in flicks like Waiting and Van Wilder, so it’s not like that side of Reynolds hadn’t already manifested.

But as I alluded earlier, it took a while for Reynolds to really refine his on-screen character. My gut says that Reynolds thought he needed to soften for broader appeal, so we wind up with Chris, a role that lands him in semi-limbo.

Reynolds can’t decide which way to go with Chris. He plays the role’s arrogant side too gently and fails to bring out any potential likable charms that the part should exhibit.

Friends implies that Jamie’s rejection in high school led Chris to become misanthropic and misogynistic. He appears to be someone who genuinely cared about girls to a dude who just views women as objects to be used

Boy, that seems like a major leap based just on one rejection. Of course, Friends eventually attempts to convince us that the “real Chris” still exists underneath the cocky jerk he became, but it doesn’t do so in a convincing manner.

Some of the issue stems from Reynolds’ wishy-washy performance. He makes “current day” Chris obnoxious enough that we don’t much like him but he doesn’t fully embrace that jerky side.

Though I find him less talented than Reynolds in general, Klein does better as the competing former nerd. He plays up the role’s comedic elements well and brings some of the movie’s better moments.

Not that we get many of these, though. Too much of Friends exists as cheap slapstick in search of laughs.

Really, the film lacks a true plot. It just shows Chris’s attempts to finally win over Jamie and the complications that come along for the ride.

If Friends mustered actual amusement, its lack of character or story punch wouldn’t matter so much. However, since it provides nary a chuckle, it can’t find a groove.

This leaves us with a rambling stab at a rom-com that lacks either romance or comedy. Instead, it becomes a tedious and trite dud.

Just Friends appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a more than competent presentation.

Overall sharpness appeared positive. Some softness crept into the film at times, but most of the time, it looked pretty accurate.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain seemed natural, and I saw no print flaws.

The movie leaned toward a largely natural palette, albeit one with a lot of punch. Still, the colors seemed fairly well-represented.

Blacks looked dark and deep, and shadows felt smooth and clear. Nothing here dazzled but the image worked fine.

Similar thoughts greeted the serviceable DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Just Friends. Don’t expect a lot from the soundscape, as it showed limited ambition.

This meant a mix that focused mainly on the front speakers. In that domain, music showed nice stereo presence and other elements spread across the channels in a moderate manner.

Surround usage remained modest. Some louder scenes – like at parties – added a bit of involvement to the track but this stayed a subdued soundfield.

Audio quality seemed fine, with speech that remained concise and natural. Effects lacked much to do but they still showed appropriate accuracy.

Music delivered positive range and clarity. Expect a decent but unmemorable “comedy mix” here.

As we move to extras, we find an audio commentary from director Roger Kumble, writer Adam “Tex” Davis, producers Chris Bender and Jake Weiner and executive producers Richard Brener and Cale Boyter. All sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/characters and real-life inspirations, cast and performances, various effects, music, sets and locations, editing and cut scenes, stunts and related domains.

Because the guys joke around a lot, the track occasionally threatens to go off the rails. However, the discussion usually stays on target and gives us a boisterous and informative take on the production.

Under Behind the Scenes, we find 11 featurettes with a total running time of 59 minutes, 10 seconds. Across these, we hear from Kumble, Davis, Bender, Brener, Weiner, makeup effects designer Bill Terezakis, director of photography Anthony Richmond, production designer Robb Wilson King, special effects coordinator Tim Horvick, cast assistant Katie Bowie, sound department Danny Duperreault, 3rd AD Jayden Saroka, stillsman Alan Markfield, and actors Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Marquette, Barry Flatman and Chris Klein.

The segments cover Reynolds’ “fat suit” and makeup, Kumble's work on the set, cast and performances, story/characters and real-life influences, reshoots, filming in a frigid location, set design, various effects, and experiences in the "friend zone". We also get some alternate takes and unused footage.

The quality of the comments varies from pretty good to fluffy, and the tone remains light. Still, we get lots of interesting footage so this turns into a largely positive compilation of segments.

Six Deleted/Alternate Scenes occupy a total of 12 minutes, eight seconds. Most of these offer variations on existing elements, so don’t expect much that would seem truly new.

An “Alternate Ending” proves a bit more provocative at least. It changes how Chris comes to his final decision in a different manner.

We can view the cut footage with or without commentary from Kumble, Davis and Bender. They tell us a bit about the sequences and why they got the boot.

The disc comes with music videos for “Jamie Smiles” and “Samantha James”. The latter just shows more of Anna Faris in character, so while interesting, it doesn’t feel new.

“Smiles” takes footage shot of the actors during the shoot meant specifically for the video. That makes it a fun addition.

In addition to the film’s trailer, the disc concludes with a two-minute, 54-second Gag Reel. It mostly features the usual goofs and giggles, though it gives us some improv lines as well.

Nothing about Just Friends manages to rise above its cliché premise. Even with a fairly good cast, the movie lacks wit or charm. The Blu-ray brings reasonably positive picture and audio along with a nice collection of bonus materials. Expect a pretty good Blu-ray for a pretty forgettable rom-com.