After watching and re-watching Friends for the umpteenth time over the years, inexorably memorizing moments from their lives, all six of them finally reunite on screen. The mere knowledge of that happening was mind-boggling per se. To see that happen for real in the form of Friends Reunion 2021 instantly takes you back in time.
The 1 hour 44 min of reminiscence felt justified production-wise, but felt shorter, for you wanted to see more of them, know more about them, the ‘how have you been?’, the ‘what have you been up to?’ and the aftermath. But the weird thing is that the answers to those questions, you already know.
But that’s the thing about a sweet company, of an old familiar face, of good times. You want them to linger, even when you don’t have anything to talk about. Words end up forming spontaneously, without even trying. Even the silence is filled with warmth. It is that rare aura where nobody is judging you for how you are in that moment, or how big or small, life has made you – it is just priceless.
Friends – The Reunion documentary feels like, and it really is, bumping into an old friend whom you have always cared about the most. It was time that took you away from that person but they were always there. You know nothing needs mending, because nothing was broken. You shut your thinking brain when you are with that person. Above all, you are willing to spend countless hours talking about the good old days, because that was one time in your life when you remember yourself to be carefree, reckless and on top of the world.
It is like spending time with your diary. It is a cathartic experience, and the documentary reflects that perfectly.
The Set of Friends Reunion 2021
It starts where one would expect it to start. To put everyone in a room, one by one. Not just in any room but the exact set where it all happened. Where they weaved memories and became a part of a whopping 10 seasons.
Watching them pour out like that with their inevitable – ‘Remember that?’ and ‘that’s where we did this’ were all laced with the strongest of nostalgia. You can’t even begin to imagine how it must be making them feel. Watching them whiff memories, taking in everything teary-eyed, and realizing how overwhelming all of it felt, give you your money’s worth. You realize that’s why you were here too.
To see the real minds behind the show, David Crane, Marta Kauffman, and Kevin Bright talk about the story behind, and delve into the nitty-gritty of the show, how everything fared and how everything panned out for everyone carries an inspiring hint of – never say never. Any day your luck could shine. Give everything your best shot! You never know what could click with the mass.
Listening to how and what the stars have been doing before Friends, and how fate mysteriously brought them together to do the show, is how dreams get crafted into something tangible. For those who have been struggling to have a piece of their success, just know that you are a mere intervention away.
It is very inspiring to watch them make it despite all odds, and it was almost like them saying yes to something that was fated. How many times have you let that go?
The Ross and Rachel Story
The biggest newsflash gets delivered when Corden asks them about offscreen romances. It comes as a surprise to all of us when we get to see how David and Jennifer used to actually fool around in the first season. They were crushing hard on each other.
They took a bigger decision to let that slide off for they didn’t want it to affect the show. You can’t help but think about, how it would have at some point. There have been clashes on so many other shows, people’s internal feuds have cost many people some seriously good shows. The reason it all panned out fine was because they didn’t go for it.
But that does not take away the fact that there was a story there somewhere, a spark that we saw in the BTS videos that makes you wonder about them actually hitting it off. They clearly mentioned that one or the other would always be in a relationship and that made them giving it a shot, highly impossible. If you think about it that’s what had happened to Ross and Rachel in the show many times too. They were actually living the Ross and Rachel story. Now that both of them are single at this point, one could only imagine what if they actually went for it. Ah! the possibility!
Friends Reunion 2021 is riddled with reminiscent pieces, since the crew and fans try to revive all the parts that we had once thoroughly enjoyed. Watching Phoebe with the guitar, or Joey going commando in Chandler’s complete wardrobe or Ross’s Holiday Armadillo take you back in time. They also recreate the famous quiz show with Ross asking the questions as the boys and girls compete against each other for a win.
Matthew Perry’s Chandler
Time was quite unkind to Matthew. He has been through so much even while he was on the show with the addicition and you could easily tell how Matthew felt a lot different in the show. His slurred speech as was confirmed by the crew was actually owing to a dental surgery.
Even so, you could easily see Matthew wallowing in his usual sense of sarcasm. He left no stones unturned to point out the obvious days to Matt.
When you hear him mention how it used to kill him when he would be unable to make the audience laugh, you realize there is always someone deeper behind the persona one actually projects. That’s so true even with Jim Carrey or Robin Williams and all those comedians who are different people behind the mask they wear onscreen.
It just makes it very sad finding out how the real Chandler struggled while the one we saw seemed extremely hopeful and happy.
Joey and Phoebe
Joey and Phoebe stood out in their own worlds, without a morsel of doubt. Phoebe being the weird one, it is nice to see her have a go at Smelly cat with Lady Gaga. The latter paying her a tribute and a beautiful compliment acknowledging how Phoebe stood out as a different one and spread out the message of – being yourself. It was quite inspiring how she effortlessly made the abnormal the new cool throughout the series.
Joey has always been too good with his slowness in grasping things, his daft behaviour and the obsession with food. It is how one would imagine Joey to be as Matt puts it – he has opened a sandwich shop in Venice Beach. That’s like a perfect ending for him. The character of Joey teaches you how to be appreciative, at the same time so madly be in love with little things in life that we generally end up overlooking.
Courtney’s Truth
Courtney just makes you cry when she makes us realize how impossible it is to get everyone in the same room. You try to remember her portrayal as Monica and you wonder it wouldn’t have been so difficult if she could just use her uptight nature.
But the sad truth that gets smashed to our faces is that how unlikely it is going to be that we get to see them together like that again. Friends Reunion makes you realize that for the next 15 years they might not meet like the way they did in the show and that just goes on to shatter you.
When you come to think of it, how often does a TV show do that to you? To connect you like you are a part of someone’s life, living their dreams, their sorrows, their happiness. It is almost as if they are your Friends too, and you get to be with them with a mere click of a button.
The best part of it all is that you are connected through a TV screen to these characters who don’t even know you. Yet, the power they had on you, and you on them in making them so immensely popular, it just goes on to defy history. It is like a gospel written which is going to go on for generations and garner even more new fans.
The Final Verdict of Reunion Friends
Even if Friends – The Reunion could have just been one big piece of footage, we would have still watched it without batting an eye. It went through a lot of cuts and edits, it is quite understandable since that’s how things go to production. But watching Friends Reunion for just 1 hour 44 min for its runtime makes you want to have more of it. You want to have the unedited version of all the footage.
To put the series and how it makes you feel in words is outright impossible, the reason I have watched it over and over again. It is like your everyday go-to TV series that always manages to bring a smile to your face. It has catharsis written all over it. No matter how down you are feeling, watching an episode will brighten up your life.
The worst part of this documentary is that it ends too. Watching them say goodbye once again is disheartening all over again. But like all good things, Friends Reunion 2021 comes to an end as well.
Nostalgia too has to run its course, and life has to move on.
