Friends With Benefits (2011)
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While trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan and Jamie soon discover however that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.
We all know how this works: two friends have a physical relationship without any of the romantic commitments or responsibilities- just two people having fun. But does it ever really stay that way?
Dylan (Justin Timberlake - The Social Network, Alpha Dog) and Jamie (Mila Kunis - Black Swan, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) meet in New York City, when Jamie recruits Dylan to work at GQ magazine. Both of them have just come out of relationships and they decide that sex with no strings attached is exactly what they both need, as long as it doesn’t complicate their friendship. For a while it works, they’re great friends having great sex, but it’s not long before Jamie wants more. After failed relationship attempts on both parts, Dylan invites Jamie to come home with him, back to LA. There, things take a more serious note, not just because of the change in their relationship while they’re away but Dylan also opens up about his relationship with his dad who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
This movie makes fun of the typical Hollywood clichés, while including a few of their own and the continuous banter between the two main characters is really entertaining. The storyline isn’t exactly Oscar material and you know exactly where it’s headed from the start, but the chemistry between JT and Mila Kunis really makes this work and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Plus, there’s a flash mob in Grand Central Station and JT even manages to throw in a few songs.
Scene Highlight: Patricia Clarkson, as Jamie’s mum, is brilliantly funny throughout, but her best scene is where she meets Dylan for the first time.
Low point: None really, but Woody Harrelson, playing Dylan’s hilarious gay friend, should have been given more screen time.
Recommend It To: Anyone who loves romantic comedies or just wants a good laugh.
-K
