Synopsis

Music executive Chris Brander is forced to return to his New Jersey hometown after a disastrous trip with one of his clients. Christmas brings him face-to-face with Jamie, his former best friend and unrequited high-school love. Although Chris has reinvented himself as a confident womanizer, seeing Jamie again revives his old feelings and leaves him struggling to prove that he is more than just a friend.

Factoids & Trivia

• Screenwriter Adam 'Tex' Davis drew on a platonic friendship from his college years, incorporating other elements of his personal life into the screenplay.

• The film was not originally conceived as a Christmas movie. The holiday setting became more prominent during production as Christmas decorations were added to the environments.

• Ryan Reynolds spent about four hours having the makeup for Chris's heavier teenage appearance applied. The face makeup alone reportedly weighed around 12 pounds.

• Much of the winter material was filmed in Regina and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where temperatures reportedly fell as low as -34 C.

• Anna Faris reportedly drank Red Bull before filming scenes requiring Samantha's nonstop energy and heightened hysteria.

• A deleted scene featured Alanis Morissette appearing as herself in an antagonistic encounter with Chris. Morissette and Reynolds were dating at the time.

• The film's soundtrack combines indie-rock songs, holiday music, and original performances written for the characters. Several of the fictional songs are performed within the story.

• The movie had a modest theatrical reception but gradually developed a following as a frequently revisited holiday comedy on home video and television.