Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Woody Harrelson
Director: Will Gluck
I like movies about quick-thinking, fast-talking characters. Romantic comedies are generally devoid of such personalities. "Friends with Benefits" is just what the title suggests... a story about two intelligent, charming, romantically frustrated people who discover that the benefits are the easy part of that kind of relationship.
The premise sounds like something made to be a subpar romcom. (Actually, it was... the concept is quite similar to "No Strings Attached" earlier this year.) Here, though, we're given characters whose happiness we can actually care about instead of merely wait for. The film stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, two gloriously attractive people as exasperated urbanites with hapless love lives. This seems like a stretch yet we accept them in the roles, not for their physical appeal so much as for their likability, comic timing, and rapid-fire verbal exchanges. And because the characters they play do seem genuine despite the story's romcom parameters.
Dylan (Timberlake) is a graphic designer based in Los Angeles. Jamie (Kunis) is a headhunter working out of Manhattan. As the movie opens, they don't know each other. Both are dumped by their respective partners. Their paths cross when Jamie tries to match Dylan with an open managerial position at GQ Magazine. As part of her pitch, she takes him around the city, and eventually charms him into taking the job. They stay in touch, remain friends, spend more and more time together, lament over their unfortunate romantic paths, reveal how much they miss sex, and then one night Dylan has an idea... why don't they just sleep together, no emotional commitment whatsoever? The tricky thing, of course, is the fundamental truth that if you're comfortable enough with each other's personality to engage in this type of relationship, then you're also comfortable enough to allow yourself to become emotionally available to one another, regardless of whether or not you're willing to admit it.
After a wee bit of convincing (and after swearing "no emotional attachments" on a Bible app for Jamie's ipad) they disrobe, assess the physical possibilities ("yeah, I can work with that,") and get down to it. What follows is a barrage of humorous exchanges during their sexual romps, with both participants not the least bit reticent about offering tips toward gratification. Since feelings aren't involved, there's no need to be sensitive to them. Jamie isn't shy about criticizing Dylan's cunnilingus techniques. ("What are you doing, trying to dig your way to China? Slow down!") This relationship of physical indulgence lasts a while, until Jamie decides she wants more; she seeks to re-enter the dating scene. They stop the physical part, but soon learn that the friendship part has become complicated.
The co-writer/director is Will Gluck, who stumbled from the starting gate with the dreadful cheerleading comedy "Fired Up!" but rebounded remarkably well with "Easy A," thanks in part to a star-making performance by Emma Stone. (She also has a cameo here.) With this film, Gluck demonstrates that he's no flash in the pan, one-good-movie-every-ten-years-or-so hack director, but a gifted and (more importantly, I think) confident comic writer. The movie is not just funny, but effortlessly so. The harder a comedy pounds away at the jokes, the less secure the filmmakers are in the material. Gluck and his co-writers are self-assured in their ability to write witty dialogue and stage scenes to max effectiveness. (The film gets a lot of mileage out of flashmobs.)
He's aided by a strong cast that includes Richard Jenkins as Dylan's father, Patricia Clarkson as Jamie's sexually free-spirit mother who pops in unexpectedly when her lack of funds necessitate it, Jenna Elfman as Dylan's sister who detects her brother's moods with remarkable ease (sisters seem to have a knack for this), and Woody Harrelson as GQ's endearingly proud homosexual sports editor who's never at a loss for zingers. ("I live out in Jersey, and I ain't takin' no ferry... unless it's out to dinner and a show. BAM!)
I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. I entered the theatre bracing for what I figured would be another routine romantic comedy where I'd tap my foot until the final embrace. Yes, the movie does follow convention. We do get that final embrace. But what I didn't expect was that I'd care as much as I did. Not because Dylan and Jamie make good lovers, but because they make great friends.
* * * out of * * * * stars
The premise sounds like something made to be a subpar romcom. (Actually, it was... the concept is quite similar to "No Strings Attached" earlier this year.) Here, though, we're given characters whose happiness we can actually care about instead of merely wait for. The film stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, two gloriously attractive people as exasperated urbanites with hapless love lives. This seems like a stretch yet we accept them in the roles, not for their physical appeal so much as for their likability, comic timing, and rapid-fire verbal exchanges. And because the characters they play do seem genuine despite the story's romcom parameters.
Dylan (Timberlake) is a graphic designer based in Los Angeles. Jamie (Kunis) is a headhunter working out of Manhattan. As the movie opens, they don't know each other. Both are dumped by their respective partners. Their paths cross when Jamie tries to match Dylan with an open managerial position at GQ Magazine. As part of her pitch, she takes him around the city, and eventually charms him into taking the job. They stay in touch, remain friends, spend more and more time together, lament over their unfortunate romantic paths, reveal how much they miss sex, and then one night Dylan has an idea... why don't they just sleep together, no emotional commitment whatsoever? The tricky thing, of course, is the fundamental truth that if you're comfortable enough with each other's personality to engage in this type of relationship, then you're also comfortable enough to allow yourself to become emotionally available to one another, regardless of whether or not you're willing to admit it.
After a wee bit of convincing (and after swearing "no emotional attachments" on a Bible app for Jamie's ipad) they disrobe, assess the physical possibilities ("yeah, I can work with that,") and get down to it. What follows is a barrage of humorous exchanges during their sexual romps, with both participants not the least bit reticent about offering tips toward gratification. Since feelings aren't involved, there's no need to be sensitive to them. Jamie isn't shy about criticizing Dylan's cunnilingus techniques. ("What are you doing, trying to dig your way to China? Slow down!") This relationship of physical indulgence lasts a while, until Jamie decides she wants more; she seeks to re-enter the dating scene. They stop the physical part, but soon learn that the friendship part has become complicated.
The co-writer/director is Will Gluck, who stumbled from the starting gate with the dreadful cheerleading comedy "Fired Up!" but rebounded remarkably well with "Easy A," thanks in part to a star-making performance by Emma Stone. (She also has a cameo here.) With this film, Gluck demonstrates that he's no flash in the pan, one-good-movie-every-ten-years-or-so hack director, but a gifted and (more importantly, I think) confident comic writer. The movie is not just funny, but effortlessly so. The harder a comedy pounds away at the jokes, the less secure the filmmakers are in the material. Gluck and his co-writers are self-assured in their ability to write witty dialogue and stage scenes to max effectiveness. (The film gets a lot of mileage out of flashmobs.)
He's aided by a strong cast that includes Richard Jenkins as Dylan's father, Patricia Clarkson as Jamie's sexually free-spirit mother who pops in unexpectedly when her lack of funds necessitate it, Jenna Elfman as Dylan's sister who detects her brother's moods with remarkable ease (sisters seem to have a knack for this), and Woody Harrelson as GQ's endearingly proud homosexual sports editor who's never at a loss for zingers. ("I live out in Jersey, and I ain't takin' no ferry... unless it's out to dinner and a show. BAM!)
I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. I entered the theatre bracing for what I figured would be another routine romantic comedy where I'd tap my foot until the final embrace. Yes, the movie does follow convention. We do get that final embrace. But what I didn't expect was that I'd care as much as I did. Not because Dylan and Jamie make good lovers, but because they make great friends.
* * * out of * * * * stars
