"Friends With Benefits" a worthy rom-com

Rating: Null/10 (11 August 2011)

(There's a couple of mild spoilers in this review, but nothing too bad).
I have a theory on this one. During their time on the set of "Black Swan", Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman talked to each other about making identical movies. They probably even had a little contest between each other on which one would have the better movie.
Portman thought she and Ashton Kutcher would be perfect together and it would be a can't-miss flick. Thus, "No Strings Attached" was made. Not a great movie, though better than most gave it credit for. Portman was still good. She did as good a job with that one as anyone else could've done.
Kunis liked her chances with Justin Timberlake. And six months later, we got "Friends with Benefits."
Kunis definitely won the bet.
"Friends with Benefits" outdid its predecessor in several ways and turned out to be a quite the charmer. The movie had zippier dialogue and funnier jokes (though nothing was as funny as the period mix in "No Strings Attached"). Kunis and Timberlake demanded screen time together with a charming chemistry that produced moments of joy, sorrow, attraction, reservation, hurt and betrayal.
It might be shocking to say, but Timberlake actually played the part. Seldom did I feel like it was just Timberlake reciting lines and singing (yes, he sings a little bit). He actually came across as a guy who was really trying to figure things out and learning how to handle adversity when it came his way.
The premise of the movie was simple. Jamie (Kunis) is a recruiting shark who convinces Dylan (Timberlake) to move to New York and take a big job at GQ magazine. As Jamie woos Dylan, they start to open up to each other and realize they want the same thing at this particular point in their lives: sex without the emotional attachment that comes from relationships.
Sound simple enough? Of course not. Sure, they both enjoy the physicality of this endeavor, but eventually, things get too close for comfort. As they threaten to cross the threshold from sex partners to being a couple, true feelings throw a curve ball into the mix, and now they're left sorting out the mess.
What makes "Friends with Benefits" work is how the characters change their approach through the course of the story. Kunis gets hurt, and it shows. Timberlake gets bitter for a little bit, and it shows.
It also helped that when trouble arose, there actually were sorrowful, emotional moments off of which they played. The bad stuff that happened in "No Strings Attached" just felt like the next step in the movie. In "Friends with Benefits", Dylan's father, Mr. Harper (Richard Jenkins), had physical issues that truly left a mark on Dylan. Though a bit predictable, his father's predicament gave him a better perspective of his own situation, which, in turn, helps both him and Jamie.
The rest of the supporting cast rounded the movie nicely. Woody Harrelson plays Tommy, a co-worker of Dylan's who is gay, and is convinced Dylan is gay, or least tries to convince Dylan of this. Jenna Elfman plays Dylan's sister, who thinks he and Jamie are perfect for each other and enjoys talking about her brother to Jamie (where has Elfman been, and why has she only been in two movies the last seven years? She deserves more work).
The story ends in a typical cliché rom-com way (actually, there's a scene at the end of the credits, which I'm proud to say that, out of the 75 or so people who came at the same showing, I was only one who got to watch it). But even that seemed fitting for the story. Whether it was the solid delivery of the lines or just quick style by which they were delivered, "Friends with Benefits" just clicked.