Friends: The Reunion (2021)
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The original cast of the iconic sitcom Friends returns to the sets of their beloved show for a nostalgic reunion special.
The story
Friends: The Reunion is a 2021 reunion special of the American television sitcom Friends, and the sitcom's first feature-length film. The special sees the main cast revisit the sets of the original show (such as the Friends' apartments, the Central Perk coffee shop, and the signature water fountain), meet with guests who appeared on the show as well as celebrity guests, do table reads and re-enactments of Friends episodes, and share behind-the-scenes footage.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Friends: The Reunion is a 2021 reunion special of the American television sitcom Friends, and the sitcom's first feature-length film. The special sees the main cast revisit the sets of the original show (such as the Friends' apartments, the Central Perk coffee shop, and the signature water fountain), meet with guests who appeared on the show as well as celebrity guests, do table reads and re-enactments of Friends episodes, and share behind-the-scenes footage. It marked the final on-screen appearances of both James Michael Tyler, who died five months after its release, and Matthew Perry, who died in 2023. The special includes appearances by various guest stars such as David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, and Lady Gaga. It also features trivia game segments and archive footage of show guest stars like Danny DeVito and Julia Roberts. Appearances by director James Burrows and comedian Bob Newhart were cut from the special and used as bonus clips in the HBO Max release.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ben Winston
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Aniston · Jennifer Aniston; Courteney Cox · Courteney Cox; Lisa Kudrow · Lisa Kudrow; Matt LeBlanc · Matt LeBlanc; Matthew Perry · Matthew Perry; David Schwimmer · David Schwimmer; James Corden · Host; David Beckham · Guest star
- Genres
- television specials; reunion
- Themes
- nostalgia; friendship
- Tone and mood
- nostalgic
- Premise and plot tags
- reunion; nostalgia; unscripted
- Source material / true-story basis
- Friends (1994–2004)
- Franchise connections
- Friends
- Reception
- The special received generally favorable reviews from critics and was a significant viewership success, becoming the most-watched programme in the history of Sky One in the United Kingdom.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Production trivia
- The special was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The special was the first feature-length film of the sitcom.; The special marked the final on-screen appearances of James Michael Tyler and Matthew Perry.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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