Friends with Benefits starring Mila Kunis (Jamie Rellis) Justin Timberlake (Dylan Harper) Patricia Clarkson (Lorna) Richard Jenkins (Mr. Harper) dir. Will Gluck – 109 minutes
When you see a title like Friends with Benefits you immediately know that this isn’t going to be your classic rom-com. Released around a similar time as No Strings Attached there appears to be a sense that romance isn’t quite what it used to be. Rom-Com’s have been taking new directions in the last few years with releases like My Super-Ex Girlfriend and 500 Days of Summer and Friends with Benefits continues this trend. Through a chance meeting Jamie and Dylan meet and become friends, but after both have had a string of failed relationships they decide to try something different – to become (pardon the language) ‘fuck-buddies.’ This isn’t the first time such a premise has been touched upon, but for the uninformed a ‘fuck-buddy’ is someone that one person can call and engage in sexual intercourse with no commitments, no emotions – as suggested by Dylan – like playing a game of tennis. But of course things become complicated…
Considering the film is mocking other ‘traditional’ rom-coms it comes as no surprise to find that the plot progresses in such a way that it falls into the trap of becoming the genre it is parodying, but because of the way the Dylan and Jamie’s characters are portrayed you find yourself hoping that things work out for them. Because of the opening scene you are never fully sure whether it will. This is because the opening scene is misleading and clever and this runs throughout the rest of the film.
One of the reasons for liking the characters so much is the witty dialogue. There are some truly wonderful moments – quotes such ‘Harry Potter doesn’t make you gay’ and also ‘When women start screaming it can be misconstrued’ are such examples, delivered with perfection by Timberlake (The Social Network, Bad Teacher, In Time) who is fast becoming a strong comic actor and distancing himself from his former N-Sync days. But that is not to say that Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Max Payne, Ted, Oz the Great and Powerful) does not hold her end. She, too, delivers a funny and entertaining performance and the two actors work very well with each other.
It is not just Dylan and Jamie who are well portrayed though, the supporting cast add much to the film. Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island, The Green Mile, Easy A) as Jamie’s distant and alcoholic mother and Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers, Burn After Reading, Cabin in the Woods) as Dylan’s sick father don’t just make the film about Jamie and Dylan’s relationship, but it offers a lot about how we as children are shaped by our parents’ attitudes and this can affect our future relationships. How Jamie and Dylan struggle to deal with their respective parent’s issues leads them to feel distanced from connecting with their own emotions.
It is a credit to Will Gluck’s direction that every character who features in the film feels like they get their moment. Whether it be Dylan’s nephew Sam the Magnificent or Jamie’s would be Prince Charming Parker you feel that each of them are justified and have well written dialogue. Perhaps one element that falls flat is the cameo of Shaun White (snowboarder.) Personally I have never heard of the guy and I think it is fair to say that many other Brits probably feel the same. Mike Tyson in The Hangover, Bill Murray in Zombieland, these cameos stand out and help the story / film progress. This cannot be said of Shaun White’s cameo. He sends himself up as being a arrogant asshole, but due to his lack of persona this doesn’t come across as funny.
Friends with Benefits is prepared to do things that other rom-coms aren’t. For any male there must have been a moment when during intercourse there has been a desire to use the bathroom, but as most gentleman will testify this is almost impossible. There is a wonderful little scene where Timberlake represents this. This is just one of the many little scenes that make Friends with Benefits the enjoyable film that it is.
Just friends?
Following on from the success of Easy A Will Gluck has proven himself as a good director of sharp, witty comedy that is prepared to take risks. You feel that Judd Apatow and crew may have to watch their backs as there could very well be a new comedy starlet in town.
7.5 / 10
Dan
Lost Reviews 