Friends with Benefits

Jamie (Mila Kunis) and Dylan (Justin Timberlake)

discuss whether or not they should have sex in Friends with Benefits.

3 Stars

Movies about friends with benefits are all over the place lately, yet it wasn't until this week that I finally saw a good one, the appropriately titled Friends with Benefits. Love and Other Drugs was a major drag, and there was nothing about No Strings Attached that made me feel obligated to check it out. But this Justin Timberlake/Mila Kunis rom-com is raunchy and surprisingly clever. There were times when I was in hysterics, the hardest I've laughed in the theater this year. Other moments, unfortunately, weren't as fresh or funny, but on the whole, the former outweighed the latter. Friends with Benefits is a good time. It's not a great time, and certainly not an original or groundbreaking time. But it's good, and I think few would actually regret seeing it.

Dylan (Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis) are hot twenty-somethings who seem to have some issues with relationships. He's emotionally distant and too involved with this work. She's got too much baggage and mistakenly assumes every boyfriend will be her Prince Charming. Their paths cross when Jamie (a headhunter) recruits L.A. native Dylan for a big-time job in New York. The two spend an enchanting evening together, yet neither feels much of a spark. It's just friendship, which is great for Dylan since he accepts the job and knows no one on the East Coast. They continue to get to know each other until the topic of sex comes up, and they decide that with no serious relationship prospects on the horizon and no real feelings for the other, they might as well just do it. Unsurprisingly, complications ensue, and both Dylan and Jamie begin to feel something, so their faced with a dilemma: Stop having sex or take a chance on something more, with the price of the latter being their friendship.

No one should go into Friends with Benefits expecting something surprising. That might stop you from just sitting back and enjoying it. And that's not to say the film is dumb; It's not by a long shot. The writing and dialogue are wicked sharp. Some will undoubtedly make comparisons to director Will Gluck's last film, Easy A. This one is better. It's failings are less objectionable, and it's funniest moments definitely outshine last year's Emma Stone vehicle.

My biggest point of contention with the film lies in how it ultimately falls back hard on the typical romantic comedy cliches. The ending is over-the-top, and the complications that arise are far from natural. But again, if you're able to tune all that out and just enjoy the film for what it is, these things might not bother you too much.

Hard to believe that this is Justin Timberlake's first real leading performance, but it is. Coming off the heels of The Social Network, he turns out a credible performance in a role that, like Sean Parker, seems to be tailor-made for him. Mila Kunis is more effective, making her extreme type-A character sympathetic, even relatable. Patricia Clarkson provides wonderful support as Jamie's wacky mother. Woody Harrelson is less effective, almost groan-inducing, as Dylan's homosexual co-worker.

Of all the R-rated comedies that came out this summer (hard to believe there were so many), Friends with Benefits was definitely my favorite. Granted, I didn't see Bad Teacher or The Hangover Part II, but there's no way in hell they'd beat this one. It's comedy gold, and though some of the romance is weak, it's a forgivable sin. And with the dog days of August just around the corner, you'll likely be hard-pressed to find something this good out there.