|
Friends With Benefits
| Released |
9 September 2011 |
| Director |
Will Gluck |
Starring
|
Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson |
Writer(s)
|
Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Will Gluck |
Producer(s)
|
Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Will Gluck, Jerry Zucker, Janet Zucker |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
109 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy, romance |
| Rating |
16 |
|
|
The best of friends.
This one may sound a little familiar. In Will Gluck’s Friends With Benefits, two attractive friends tire of the dating world and decide to throw sex into their relationship under the misguided belief that it won’t change a thing. No Strings Attached, with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, recently trod down a very similar path, much to the interest of nobody in particular. Then of course there is the pinnacle of the set-up, the Seinfeld episode The Deal, where Jerry and Elaine try to bring the physical aspect back into their relationship. Friends With Benefits at least has the good grace to acknowledge this debt in a one-liner delivered by Timberlake and as a homage, it must be said that Friends With Benefits doesn’t disgrace itself. While it can’t compete with the half hour genius of The Deal, it still sits happily closer to that territory than it does to the Portman/Kutcher personality vortex.
Here, the couple in question are Dylan (Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis). Jamie is a head hunter charged with wooing Dylan to leave LA for a new position in New York. After a whirlwind tour of the city, she is successful and the pair become fast friends when Dylan moves to town; until they have the bright idea of sleeping together and things get a little too complicated. As with Gluck’s previous success Easy A, the script is above average and the cast are, on the whole charming. Kunis is as likable and funny as she was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall but by giving Jamie a slightly harder edge, she is also believable as a New York career girl who could actually hold down a job. She makes a very natural foil for Timberlake and the pair have excellent chemistry. There is also classy support from the always bankable Patricia Clarkson and Richard Jenkins while Woody Harrelson camps it up as Timberlake’s workmate.
So it may not be revolutionary but after a summer of comedies that have scraped the bottom of the controversy barrel in the desperate attempt to raise a chuckle, I found Friends With Benefits rather refreshing. A funny and likable comedy that doesn’t need to degrade its characters to prove itself to be modern. Fancy that!
-
Linda O’Brien |
