Director: Will GluckCast: Justin Timberlake (In Time, The Social Network), Mila Kunis (That 70's Show, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, Natural Born Killers), Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading), Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg), Patricia Clarkson (The Green Mile)
The Deal: While trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan (Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis) soon discover that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.
Thoughts: Released after the similarly-premised No Strings Attached, Friends with Benefits is both original and superior. Both films rely on extremely attractive leads to rope viewers in, but this film has that extra something. It's a cookie-cutter script that doesn't feel like it. It constantly pokes fun at every sappy romantic comedy while executing those same plot points, and rarely wastes an opportunity to work in a pop culture reference without getting too annoying. What makes it work is how well the film acknowledges these moments and makes them feel original none-the-less.
Timberlake and Kunis have good onscreen chemistry, and that's the key starting point. Are our two leads both flawed in a way that will complicate everything? Yes. Will they both realize they want to be more than friends but have screwed it up? Yes. Will there be some elaborate realization and effort to have them end up together? Of course, it's a romantic comedy! What makes this film work is they're having fun with the script, and each of their characters portrays a little of themselves without it feeling like we're just watching a couple of actors playing themselves.
Verdict: Friends with Benefits is an original and humorous romantic comedy wrapped in a cookie-cutter mold. It will probably never go down as anything great, but it will be remembered as a funny and entertaining. ☆☆☆1/2
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