Director: Will Gluck
Time: 1 hour and 47 minutes
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis
Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in a romantic comedy about two people who decide to add emotionally unattached sex to their friendship. Unfortunately, they learn that the physical experiences are having an emotional impact on their friendship as well as their perception of each other.
Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is a talented online marketing executive who has recently been picked up by GQ magazine. Jamie (Mila Kunis) is the talent consultant who helped lure him there. The two become good friends and inevitably decide to have sex just for the physical gratification. At first this looks like a great thing, but soon the two find that feelings are interfering and things become really complicated.
I hate movie premises like this, but even I have to admit that "Friends with Benefits" was funny and enjoyable, and even had some emotional depth. The film touches briefly on aging and coping with aging family members, and its emotional range reaches much further than "you just want me for sex."
Timberlake is a decent actor and the chemistry between him and Mila Kunis seems strong. I wonder if they hooked up off-screen as well? With the comfort level of the scenes, I wouldn't be surprised. However, the biggest assets to this film are its supporting cast. Woody Harrelson is hilarious as a gay sports writer, Patricia Clarkson is memorable as Jamie's eccentric mother and Richard Jenkins is very moving as Dylan's aging father.
"Friends with Benefits" has its share of funny moments and is pretty romantic and creative. Unfortunately, the subject matter bores me as does its flimsy plot.
3 out of 5 stars.
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