Friends with benefits isnt one of the films most of my friends would expect me to go and see, none of my friends offer benefits so maybe thats why. Its a seemingly gooey looking rom com starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake as the friends in question. First thing I need to say is this is a rom com, nothing I say can change that and its very good as far as rom coms go but it is what it is and if you hate them you wont like this one any more than the others its not outstanding or especially clever but it was a decent film with some genuinely funny scenes and a likeable cast.
The premise is Justins character meets Kunis by way of a job opportunity she sets up for him in New York, he being from LA needs to be sold on the idea of moving and they become great friends while getting to know each other and the city. They some how get onto the subject of sex and how its just a physical act and the emotions spoil it all, this leads them to decide to be fuck buddies, no strings sex whenever they feel like it and this works well for a while. The sex scenes are funny as they throw off the need to be gentle with each others egos and say what they like and dont like usually during the act, I loved seeing Kunis in flagrante and Im sure the ladies enjoyed Timberlake sans clothes as well.
While the whole world advises them against this idea the appear to manage it perfectly ending it when they feel ready and mixed results in finding a new partner lead to some more humour, Woody Harrelson as the gay buddy of timberlake is especially good in his surmising of why it would never work out for the good.
After a brush with a typical asshole Kunis is let down by her pointless mother and Timberlake takes her home for 4th of July weekend in LA with his super hot sister, Jenna Elfman and his senile dad. They have a deeper encounter than usual while there ad while being pushed by his sister on the relationship Kunis overhears him say she is emotionly screwed up and couldnt be with him in a million years.
cue storming out and heart wrenching disputes about who broke the rules they had set out in the beginning, some family intervention from the deluded old father who remembers the girl he should have married clearly. They argue some more and Timberlake finally realises why he wasnt trying to find a real partner so sets out to woo her back, it gets shmaltzy at this stage and the end is as one would expect, its clichés but celebrates this fact and in the end its funnier than it could have been because the cast bring their A games and the writing is witty enough without being too clever, it is made for the american market after all. I love the cameo from Jason Segel in a deliberately cringe worthy show that Kunis loves to watch.
I probably wont see this again as the laughs work well once but I dont think they will age well, I will have to get a Kunis fix some other way but ultimately its a good night out and perfect for a date, just not a first one.
bigsteveg 