F.R.I.E.N.D.S: A Review

The story is centred on six friends who live in Manhattan, New York City. You could say they live together, though it's not entirely right, considering they tend to move, live and switch around with one another. Central Perk is a coffee house which is one of the most prominent backgrounds of the show's scenes. It is also the Friends' favourite haunt. 

"It's about sex, love, relationships, careers, a time in your life when everything's possible. And it's about friendship because when you're single and in the city, your friends are your family." - Crane, Kauffman and Bright, the producers of F.R.I.E.N.D.S

They gather together at regular intervals to share their own daily lives and problems, often teasing one another or bantering about random hearsay, getting involved in each other's affairs, and really doing everything together. That includes dropping by the ex's, accidentally invading bathroom privacy, prodding the fat man opposite the street with elongated chopsticks, being bridesmaids, and the inevitable sexual attraction...

 There are also a lot of secrets and gossip between the Friends, some more interactive than others, when the gang has split airtime. There's a fair bit of drama and interpersonal issues surfacing from the the controversial relationships they have, which more than often takes a comical course. A lot is exaggerated so they stand out, but still realistic enough to relate to and laugh with. 

As the story progresses more of their individual past is revealed and we actually get to see who they are and what they do, and how they come together and cover for one another in the most trying times. The humour genre is rampant and may overwhelm your sides with aches, but it is that very humour that makes the show so important, that underlies the trove of friendship and group hugs.

There are unbearable moments where there are tears and heartbreak, indignant moments boiling from anger and betrayal, and breathtaking moments of confessions and forgiveness; the climactic ones are always when the Friends come through for themselves. 

A 10-season series that will make you cry hard and laugh harder, each of their characters is wonderfully flawed and distinctly lovable, growing on you with every episode. It's just not F.R.I.E.N.D.S without any one of them. 

               Meet the Friends             

Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay Just a day at the subway for Phoebe Phoebe - the oddball of the group. Eccentric and quirky, mostly due to a childhood of poverty and crime, she' s probably the most hilarious out of the girls and a genius at comedy relief, even by sitcom standards. Phoebe has a strong sense of spirituality and abhors secularism. She loves singing especially morbid lyrics, in a peculiarly wayward tone she insists is a professional trademark. She's a masseuse and a vegan, although sometimes she's tricked into meat.

Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
                   

Joey's explanation for looking sick

Joey - the not-so-sharp one. He's kind of a blockhead, well, okay, he's the dunce - every group's gotta have one! Like Phoebe, Joey's excellent comedy relief in his obstinately gargantuan appetite for food... and chicks. His catch phrase -- "How you duuin'?" -- is a very effective tool for his promiscuous dates. Really a big, goofy sentimental Romeo, Joey has a big heart to match his appetites. He's a freelance actor and God knows what else.  

                                                                                                                                                         

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green

When Ross's girlfriend didn't like her...

Rachel - the classic bimbo. She comes off as lascivious and materialistic, greeting her friends often with a new man or shopping bag in hand. Despite often humorous in a vivacious light, she's very emotional and treasures her friends. Naturally, that gets her romantically tangled with one or two of the group, stumbling into all sorts of awkward scenarios and drama. She worked as a waitress and found her calling in fashion design.

Courteney Cox as Monica Geller Once refused, twice annoyed, but... Monica - the obsessive perfectionist. A clean freak with a really imposing sense of regulation, Monica is the egoist of the group. Shift any of her furniture an inch, you're in for it. Genuinely romantic and generous to her friends, her idea of fun is still pretty much: adherence to coasters at all parties, being rewarded for pwning people, and cleaning vacuum cleaners. Her culinary career's soared to head chef. David Schwimmer as Ross Geller  Ross's reference to a wall photo Ross - the dinosaur geek. He's been fascinated by science since childhood. He loves exalting the brilliance of science, being the only Friend who grasps science jokes. On the left is Ross's impression of dinosaur behaviour. Though knowledgeable, he easily whines and sulks, or loses track of social life, characterised by a childish cock of his head and dazed eyes. And his luck in relationships is hapless. Ross's a dinosaur professor, if it wasn't clear enough! Matthew Perry as Chandler M. Bing Chandler on his friend's dilemma Chandler -  the funny guy. Owing to his father's overt homosexuality, it's common practice for his friends to poke fun at his orientation, more so after they discover his full name! Chandler's thus developed a psychological defence mechanism, warping any oddity into a satirical joke. That dry, sarcastic humour has become a trait. Conscious of this, Chandler takes pride in being the clown. His job's a dark horse, occasionally hinting at "executive accountant", but he later swerves to become a junior copywriter. He's straight, by the way.

Some videos compacted with the Best of F.R.I.E.N.D.S

What some viewers have hand-picked as favourite moments.

Their bloopers are a riot!

Ross playing the bagpipes scenes and bloopers

Compilation of other out-takes

They're so funny, their screw-ups are worth it

When they gave their final bow after the last episode was done, live.

The cast video-bombing each other during their interviews... 'cuz they can!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQFY6y5MP8

Ellen DeGeneres -- the only hope for a F.R.I.E.N.D.S reunion!

Turns out Jimmy Kimmel also wrote a FRIENDS script. Love it! 

Should have totally been included in the original series. xD

Matt Leblanc's new show -- Episodes -- with some F.R.I.E.N.D.S cameos 

Lisa Kudrow also has a show -- Web Therapy -- featuring a couple of the old cast

How I feel about FRIENDS

I have a lot of sitcoms I love, like How I met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, My Wife & Kids... but F.R.I.E.N.D.S is different. I adore it, like feeling I have an intimate relationship with the show's characters. I only started watching it around 2009 but it's been a masterpiece of a sitcom after that. 

The jokes are original and funny, the execution of comedy in their acting is everything the audience could want, and their chemistry together is real and ties the story in so perfectly. It's wild and fun, yet not obscene; a show for the whole willing family. It's practically the father of all modern sitcoms! Although I've watched it more than once and I kinda know what's coming, it never fails to make me lol. 

It's such an amazing show that even the cast remains close friends throughout their eventual years, even Ellen seems determined to assemble the legendary clique. It was such a great hit, one of the biggest in America (and the world for that matter), they received emmys and quite the standing ovation in their final, live episode (linked above). 

Who wouldn't wanna model their friendships after them? Friends are the ideal generalisations of the common roles we all have in our own cliques. They're funny, awesome and they love each other, real life or not. 

The sadness and happiness of a great show or book ending has never been so palpable... so tantalising. This is my first TV show review so I'm probably giving this too much credit, but I'm actually quite picky with shows, and I'm telling you -- this is a must-see!   

The Friends jamming with the band who sings their theme

P.S. Watch out for my next sitcom review on How I Met Your Mother!