Great Funny Date Movie

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2011)

I fully expected this movie to be "No Strings Attached," only with much better casting. I could not have been more wrong. In fact, this film destroyed any expectations that I had preconceived. It was quite possibly the best romantic comedy or date movie I have seen in the past five years. Casting was certainly key and I can not see anyone except for Timberlake and Kunis portraying these characters.
Dylan (Timberlake) runs an extremely popular blog and is the perfect candidate to run the online editions of any magazine. Jamie (Kunis) is a corporate head hunter; someone who goes after specific job candidates on behalf of a company. She is hired by GQ to convince Dylan to take a high position with the magazine. After Dylan agrees to take the job and moves to New York he develops a kindred friendship with Jamie. Both characters realizing their need for carnal interaction; they decide to start just being "friends with benefits." Things become complicated as it is slowly revealed that Dylan tends to run away from hard situations. His father is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and it is made obvious that Dylan struggles to accept the hand that he has been dealt. Dylan's denial allows him to deny that he in fact has developed feelings for Jamie, who has also developed feelings for him. Long story short, it is Dylan's father who talks sense into him allowing Dylan to confess his feelings for Jamie. I walked away from the film feeling that the overall message conveyed is that 'life is tough so it is important to find happiness with the one that you love.' It is also worth noting that Woody Harrelson does an excellent job by providing a supporting role and comic relief. His character, Tommy, is the sports editor for the magazine and also a homosexual. He tends to be the vehicle that pushes the story along and helps to sugar coat some of the film's seriousness. I will say that the movie is sappy at times but the 'heart' mixes with the awkward story line in such a way that makes this movie work 8 Stars Out Of 10