MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (7/22/11): FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould ... And two other notable actors in a movie-within-a-movie situation ...
WRITER(S): Keith Merryman, David A. Newman and Will Gluck
DIRECTOR: Will Gluck
WEB SITE: http://fwb-movie.com/
THE PLOT: Taking place primarily in New York City - where all romantic comedies seemingly do these days – Friends With Benefits finds young Dylan (Justin Timberlake) visiting town to meet with Jamie (Mila Kunis). Jamie, you see, is a headhunter who recruits talent to companies, the company in question in this situation being Gentleman's Quarterly magazine, better known to most simply as GQ. Jamie is hoping she can sway Dylan to take a job as the magazine's new art director where he'll work alongside people such as Tommy (Woody Harrelson), the sports editor who is extremely comfortable with his sexuality.
Eventually deciding to take the gig and leave his aging father (Richard Jenkins), sister Annie (Jenna Elfman) and her young son Sam (Nolan Gould) back in Los Angeles, Dylan spends a lot of time hanging out with Jamie. After all, they've got a lot in common having just been dumped by their most recent flames (played by Andy Samberg and Emma Stone, respectively). Throw in the fact they enjoy each other's company and Jamie's mom (Patricia Clarkson) is as fun-yet-flighty as can be and they have the makings of a beautiful friendship.
Then, one night, while watching a movie, the two get to discussing the one thing they both are missing from their lives the most: sex. If you don't know what happens next, you are probably at the wrong movie.
And as things go, they are seemingly great for Dylan and Jamie alike ... But can they really stay that way with a true, no strings attached, no emotion involved physical relationship? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.
THE TAKE: Friends With Benefits starts out a little slow with jokes that aren't exactly that stellar. Fortunately - much like a real relationship itself - the film gets better as it progresses along. That's not to suggest the film does not lack for funny moments - it's just that majority of them deal with one particular subject: sex. Given the somewhat ridiculous nature of the physical act itself, mining it for comedy is not hard, but Friends With Benefits does a very good job of exploiting it for comedy. The film is not as ribald as its trailer makes it out to be save for Harrelson's character (he's "macho gay" in a way that's too silly to be offended by), so if that's what you're expecting, you might want to check out the recently-released Horrible Bosses instead.
If you're looking for a date movie with edge AND emotion, however, Friends With Benefits should do the trick for you. For Timberlake and Kunis have a great chemistry together that makes the evolution of their relationship - as friends and beyond - interesting and intriguing without ever venturing over into the trappings of forced romantic comedy conflict. Instead, what you get is a very believable set of characters whose flaws are understandable and acceptable even when they are about to screw up royally. That in turn makes it all the more enjoyable when they come to their respective senses, much like watching that friend whose been romantically screwed up for years finally finding their happy place.
PARTING SHOT: A film that might do more for people afraid of falling in love and/or more inclined to quit looking for it than those who already believe in it, Friends With Benefits isn't the greatest romantic comedy of all time, but it's definitely one you and yours can be chummy with.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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