Jason KingFriends with Benefits: A Review
August 18th 2011 20:02
:
Looks Like a Winner - Review by PAUL
Category: Reviews
BIG THANKS TO PAUL FOR ATTENDING THIS SCREENING AND REVIEWING FOR SALTY. SUSS OUT PAULS SITE AT http://www.orble.com/pop-is-not-dead/. I can't wait to see this.
Alright let's start by mentioning the elephant in the room; FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS does have a very similar story line to the recent filmNO STRINGS ATTACHED starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. While both films explore the idea of a guy and girl who are friends and decide to bring a non-emotion sexual aspect to their relationship, this is pretty much where the two films part. Where NO STRINGS ATTACHED was an all out romantic comedy, it seems that FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS sets out to be the non-rom-com romantic comedy, knowing that there would be the comparisons between the two films.
Starring Mila Kunis as Jamie, an Executive Recruiter for a leading job agency in New York City and Justin Timberlake as Dylan, Jamie's newest successful recruit for GQ magazine, whom she convinces to move from LA to NYC. Being new to the city and not knowing anyone else Dylan and Jamie quickly become friends. One night while discussing sex and their past relationships, they come to the conclusion that sex should not come with so many emotional attachments and they decide they have a strong enough friendship to allow them to have sex without the emotions, to become friends with benefits. But can two friends really have a sexual relationship without letting their emotions get in the way? (Cue the music - Dun Dun Duuuuunnnn!!)
I think what makes this film stand out from not only NO STRINGS ATTACHED but from a lot of recent romantic comedies is the sellar cast. Both Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are perfectly cast in their roles. Having both come from critically acclaimed roles (in THE SOCIAL NETWORK and BLACK SWAN respectively), I think that it is FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS that will really confirm them as major Hollywood players. The supporting cast is almost a dream come true with brilliant performances from Jenna Elfman as Dylan's sister (Hollywood casting agents please give Jenna Elfman more work as she really is fantastic!), Richard Jenkins, who provides the serious side of the film as Dylan's father, who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's, and Woody Harrelson as the gay Sports Editor at GQ magazine (he truly has the best one liners throughout the film, my favourite "I'm not taking no ferry...unless it's out to dinner and a show!" Ha Ha!) But of the supporting cast it has to be Patricia Clarkson, as Jamie's zany mother, who is the true stand out. She steals every scene that she's in, without being over the top in her performance and still allowing the other cast members to shine in the scenes.
Director Will Gluck, who previously made the brilliant EASY A, has really set out to make a very different kind of romantic comedy, especially with the fact that a film of very similar storyline was being made at the same time (interestingly NO STRINGS ATTACHED was original titled FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS!). Throughout the film there are constant references to the typical storyline of a romantic comedy and how things like that don't happen in real life, and just when you think that film is starting to follow the formula of a romantic comedy, it will immediately change course or the characters will make reference to it, which was really refreshing. In a subtle way, the film also seems to be shot as a love letter to New York City. The NYC locations are beautiful and the scenes at the beginning of the film where Jamie is trying to convince Dylan to make the move from LA by showing him the real NYC are spectacular. I spent most of the film thinking about how much I want to go to NYC and go to all of the places that the characters were going!
FRIENDS WITH BENFITS is a really fun film that has some genuinely funny moments (the scene of Justin Timberlake rapping to Kris Kross' JUMP is hilarious! And the break up scenes at the beginning! And the "twat block" comment from Patricia Clarkson! And I could go on and on!) and, of course, just the right amount of emotion to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's one of those films that is great for date night (don't worry guys, there's enough smutty humour to keep you laughing and seriously, Mila Kunis doesn't wear much more than tiny shorts and tight tops throughout most of the film - and damn, she looks great!) or to get the gang together for a movie followed by coffee or cocktails and an interesting conversation on whether or not you could have friends with benefits and who in the group you could do it with!
9/10 - an extra point was awarded for the scenes of Justin Timberlake in the buff! (Girls, worth the ticket price alone!) And if someone tells me that a stunt bum was used I'm going to be devastated!
Alright let's start by mentioning the elephant in the room; FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS does have a very similar story line to the recent filmNO STRINGS ATTACHED starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. While both films explore the idea of a guy and girl who are friends and decide to bring a non-emotion sexual aspect to their relationship, this is pretty much where the two films part. Where NO STRINGS ATTACHED was an all out romantic comedy, it seems that FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS sets out to be the non-rom-com romantic comedy, knowing that there would be the comparisons between the two films.
Starring Mila Kunis as Jamie, an Executive Recruiter for a leading job agency in New York City and Justin Timberlake as Dylan, Jamie's newest successful recruit for GQ magazine, whom she convinces to move from LA to NYC. Being new to the city and not knowing anyone else Dylan and Jamie quickly become friends. One night while discussing sex and their past relationships, they come to the conclusion that sex should not come with so many emotional attachments and they decide they have a strong enough friendship to allow them to have sex without the emotions, to become friends with benefits. But can two friends really have a sexual relationship without letting their emotions get in the way? (Cue the music - Dun Dun Duuuuunnnn!!)
I think what makes this film stand out from not only NO STRINGS ATTACHED but from a lot of recent romantic comedies is the sellar cast. Both Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are perfectly cast in their roles. Having both come from critically acclaimed roles (in THE SOCIAL NETWORK and BLACK SWAN respectively), I think that it is FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS that will really confirm them as major Hollywood players. The supporting cast is almost a dream come true with brilliant performances from Jenna Elfman as Dylan's sister (Hollywood casting agents please give Jenna Elfman more work as she really is fantastic!), Richard Jenkins, who provides the serious side of the film as Dylan's father, who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's, and Woody Harrelson as the gay Sports Editor at GQ magazine (he truly has the best one liners throughout the film, my favourite "I'm not taking no ferry...unless it's out to dinner and a show!" Ha Ha!) But of the supporting cast it has to be Patricia Clarkson, as Jamie's zany mother, who is the true stand out. She steals every scene that she's in, without being over the top in her performance and still allowing the other cast members to shine in the scenes.
Director Will Gluck, who previously made the brilliant EASY A, has really set out to make a very different kind of romantic comedy, especially with the fact that a film of very similar storyline was being made at the same time (interestingly NO STRINGS ATTACHED was original titled FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS!). Throughout the film there are constant references to the typical storyline of a romantic comedy and how things like that don't happen in real life, and just when you think that film is starting to follow the formula of a romantic comedy, it will immediately change course or the characters will make reference to it, which was really refreshing. In a subtle way, the film also seems to be shot as a love letter to New York City. The NYC locations are beautiful and the scenes at the beginning of the film where Jamie is trying to convince Dylan to make the move from LA by showing him the real NYC are spectacular. I spent most of the film thinking about how much I want to go to NYC and go to all of the places that the characters were going!
FRIENDS WITH BENFITS is a really fun film that has some genuinely funny moments (the scene of Justin Timberlake rapping to Kris Kross' JUMP is hilarious! And the break up scenes at the beginning! And the "twat block" comment from Patricia Clarkson! And I could go on and on!) and, of course, just the right amount of emotion to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's one of those films that is great for date night (don't worry guys, there's enough smutty humour to keep you laughing and seriously, Mila Kunis doesn't wear much more than tiny shorts and tight tops throughout most of the film - and damn, she looks great!) or to get the gang together for a movie followed by coffee or cocktails and an interesting conversation on whether or not you could have friends with benefits and who in the group you could do it with!
9/10 - an extra point was awarded for the scenes of Justin Timberlake in the buff! (Girls, worth the ticket price alone!) And if someone tells me that a stunt bum was used I'm going to be devastated!
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