Friends with Benefits

Rating: 5/10 (19 February 2013)

I had seen rom-coms No Strings Attached and Love & Other Drugs which were both released within a couple of months of each other, and when I heard about this one it sounded exactly the same kind of format, I was expecting this to be the same standard of entertainment as well. Basically executive recruiter Jamie Rellis (Mila Kunis) is given the job of signing internet based art director Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake) in Los Angeles for her client at GQ magazine in New York, he is hesitant for a while but is persuaded to change his mind after being given a tour of the city. After this fun night out he is given the contract to sign, and after this the two of them spend some time together and become friends, and one night watching a romantic movie together at home and get into a conversation about relationships and sex. After this chat they decide that they would like to have sex together without any emotion or commitment, and this becomes a frequent activity for them as they meet many times to do this, they see it as a good fun activity and almost fulfilling a basic need, but wanting to see other people though they decide to drop this and just stick to being friends. Soon after Dylan meets and starts dating Parker (Bryan Greenberg), and they too have sex, but he gets angry when she leaves him and they break up, Dylan suggests meeting up with Jamie on the July 4th weekend while he visits his older sister Annie (Jenna Elfman) and father Mr. Harper (Richard Jenkins), and they end up sharing a much more passionate night of intimacy unlike previously. She however overhears him and his sister talking about her where he says he does not have any true feelings for her, so upset she flies back to New York, and few days he returns there as well to try and reconcile their friendship and see why she has been ignoring him, when she does find her she confesses hearing what he said and does not want to be friends. Then Jamie finds out Dylan may be leaving GQ for another job, and talking about this leads to another argument between them, and apart they try to work out their feelings for each other, Jamie spends time with her mother Lorna (Patricia Clarkson), while Dylan's father is suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and he has to look after him with his confusion increasing. He talks to his gay friend and co-worker Tommy Bollinger (Woody Harrelson) about what he feels for her and decides he should go after her, he calls her mother to set her up to go to Grand Central Station tricked into thinking she is picking her up, but actually he is forming a flash mob. When Jamie arrives she is surprised by the flash mob suddenly dancing all over the station and Dylan tells her how he really feels, he share a passionate kiss and he says they should go on a real date for the first time, and they say they can leave the sex until later, but obviously this may be misconstrued. Also starring Emma Stone as Kayla, Andy Samberg as Quincy, Masi Oka as Darin Arturo Morena, Shaun White, Lili Mirojnick as Laura and Jason Segel as Brice (in the romantic movie on the TV). Timberlake proves he is still a likable actor following his role in The Social Network, and Kunis is a good choice as the spicy and beautiful friend turned lover, together they make a reasonable couple, as I expected it was pretty much exactly the same storyline as the films I mentioned, it has some funny moments though and it is sweet enough, a predictable but alright romantic comedy. Worth watching!