Friends with Benefits

Starring: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, Masi Oka, Shaun White, Rashida Jones, Jason Segel
Directed by: Will Gluck
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Two friends (Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis) start a purely physical relationship, and fight to keep their relationship commit-free and uncomplicated.

Review:
Tim: I was surprised how much I enjoyed Friends with Benefits. After being disappointed in the very similar but rote, boring No Strings Attached, I didn't have high hopes for this film. It features the same scenario, similar actors, and overall, looked too redundant to be any good. That was not the case at all. I found this movie to be a funny, touching, entertaining film. I really liked it quite a bit.

The strength really starts with the cast. I wouldn't have guessed this, but I found Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis far more enjoyable than I did Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman (sorry to keep comparing both movies, but they tackle the same subject and both came out in 2011). I still am not convinced about Timberlake as an actor, but I have to admit he was very good here. There's still too many moments when it feels like he's acting (and sometimes doesn't do a great job at it), but overall, he was charismatic, funny, and entertaining to watch. He impressed me. I thought Mila Kunis did a good job, but I wasn't wowed by her performance. After her incredible turn in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I had high hopes for her. She's not bad at all in this film, but I didn't feel like she blew me away, either. Still, she's more enjoyable than Portman was in that other movie. Kunis did have a few terrific moments sprinkled throughout the movie. Best of all, I actually felt like Timberlake and Kunis had good chemistry together- like they might actually be friends in real life. I thought they worked well together. Their back-and-forth banter was one of the higlights of the film.

The supporting cast is very good. Patricia Clarkson had a few very funny moments as Kunis' mom. Jenna Elfman and Richard Jenkins both added a lot to the film as Timberlake's family. Woody Harrelson really made a huge impact in a small role. I loved seeing the cameos of Andy Samberg and Emma Stone. I also loved the small part for Rashida Jones and Jason Segel. Even Shaun White had a few funny moments. Overall, I felt like this film had a very strong cast (and you always get extra points for casting Masi Oka, no matter how small the part).

The dialogue in this film was very impressive. The dialogue was so well written, it just popped off the screen. There was some really, really funny lines. I admit that I laughed out loud several times throughout the film. The movie is certainly quite raunchy, but it is very funny as well. Watching this movie was an enjoyable experience. The characters were interesting and fairly believable, and they said some really funny things. For the most part, I felt good while watching the film. It felt surprisingly fresh and hip, not like this was the 2nd film to address the same subject in less than a year.

I really liked how this film tackled an adult subject matter, but it did it with intelligence and maturity. The movie definitely has it juvenile moments, but I felt like it separated itself from the typical weak films in this genre. Even though many romantic comedy conventions could be found here, it was packaged up and polished and it felt like a new, shiny thing. I didn't feel like I'd seen this all before. Plus, the movie made fun of some of those stupid romantic comedy cliches, which is always enjoyable.

Friends with Benefits was an entertaining, fun movie. I found myself drawn into the characters and their situation. I cared about them. That doesn't always happen with romantic comedies. I thought this film did a very good job of showing an adult relationship with some real life complexities. Of course, in the end, it's a Hollywood movie, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Here, we get a nice balance between realism and escapism. This is a very good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, No Strings Attached, Bad Teacher, Easy A