Review - Friends With Benefits

These Friends Are Worth Checking Out
As a headhunter, Jamie’s (Mila Kunis) job is to find the best and the brightest. Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is the art director for a blog that is off the charts successful. Seems like a perfect match when Jamie needs to fill the Art Director job for GQ. The challenge is to bring him from California to New York, but she is ready to sell him on the move.

Upon acceptance of the job, Dylan realizes that he has no real friends here in the city. Both he and Jamie are tired of the dating game and decide to become friends with benefits. But can that type of relationship really last?

Timberlake and Kunis are fun stars to work with. I really believe they are both on the verge of becoming superstars. It is these two that make this film fun. Their raw and unencumbered relationship will shock and be a welcome change from most romantic comedies. When they are going for humor this film knocks it out of the park.

The one downfall is the fact that the film tries to get too serious in the end. Like so many before it, they don’t realize they don’t need a serious third act to tie things together. They use great actors like Richard Jenkins and the always likable Jenna Elfman to try and bring the story line to the fore, but instead it feels tacked on and added without a lot of thought. The plot line deals with something near and dear to my heart and despite Richard Jenkins bringing a tear to my eye, it wasn’t necessary in the film as it was constructed.

Sure it has its serious side, but you come to see Timberlake and Kunis and have some fun. The actors (and the bit cameos as well) are what you come to this film to see and they are wonderful. But why oh why did they have to go for the third act serious angle? Though it derails a bit, these friends are worth checking out.

B-

Friends With Benefits
Screen Gems Pictures

Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson

Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes