Friends with Benefits will no doubt be compared to No Strings Attached and if I had to choose which would be better, it would be Friends with Benefits. Sure the film has plenty of predictable moments but it doesn't feel as cliche as No Strings was. Also Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis work better together than Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The film, which is from the same director as Easy A, keeps a lot of the charm his last film had and really doesn't have much drag. I was kind of surprised that some serious issues were tackled in this film but it is worked out well. All the guest appearances in this film were top notch (I especially want to own the Jason Segel and Rashida Jones movie series that was shown). It is a great film entry into what should be a great summer for comedies. ***

Does Timberlake indeed show his buttocks in the film?

What serious issues are tackled in the film?

Similar to No Strings Attached (Greta Gerwig), if I ever see this it'll be for a supporting player (Woody Harrelson).

Timberlake's buttocks? ummm tempting!

Damn, Richard Jenkins just played an old-sick-dad-in-bed in another romantic comedy (the crappy Waiting for Forever). Typecast!

Also, in a way, in Dear John.

I saw this last week and I was really not the biggest fan of it. I'm a huge fan of Easy A and the cast, so I was expecting a good movie but I was disappointed. It was disjointed and didn't know what kind of movie is wanted to be (Patricia Clarkson's character is one of the most unneeded characters EVER). Did enjoy seeing Justin's ass though.

5/10

Friends with Benefits makes good use out of a sharp screenplay and winning lead performances from Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who have genuine and pronounced chemistry. It obviously comes right on the heels of No Strings Attached; I was a fan of that film, and Friends with Benefits "wins" by a nose because of a stronger connection between its leads. I'm an unapologetic JT fan and he pulls off his role with aplomb: he's charming and cute (and I'm certainly not complaining about seeing his butt multiple times). Kunis, who has never been anything less than delightful in most projects, is terrific and fresh. An excellent supporting cast also surrounds these two, including Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson and Jenna Elfman (not annoying me for once). Director Will Gluck is now two for two after his Easy A last year. B+

Overlong, but overall I had a good time. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis have a great, natural chemistry that makes this movie as successful as it is. The supporting players are all pretty excellent, especially Patricia Clarkson and Richard Jenkins. Fun cameos from the likes of Emma Stone, Jason Segal, Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg all provide a great deal of laughs. I could have done without certain plot elements (the whole portion of the story with Bryan Greenberg's character was useless and should have been excised) and overall I think I preferred this past winter's No Strings Attached, but this is definitely one of the better films of the summer and worth checking out. B+

It's a solid B romcom. Makes up for cliches by equally making fun of cliches.

Thought Timberlake was actually great in this. I didn't like his Social Network performance much, he always felt like Justin Timberlake and not Sean Parker in that movie and I expected that's how his movie career would go. But here he disappears into his character and just becomes Dylan.

It's a romcom that doesn't want to be exactly like every other romcom so it's only mostly like every other romcom.

Maybe it's because I had low expectations due to friends not liking this one, but I LOVED it! I thought it was really funny, sweet, and sexy. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis had great chemistry. It was better than No Strings Attached, IMO, which I also enjoyed.

8/10 (A-)

The story is your average predictable romcom fodder. But Mila Kunis is very charming, the most I have ever liked her, and Timberlake is pretty good in his role, and together they have more chemistry than you usually see in the genre.

Loved the first half, hated the second.

Mila and Justin are just too cute and the whole set-up was delicious.

Then they went and got all serious and killed the damn thing.


3 out of 5.

I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the recurring joke about Harry Potter fanboys being gay!

Friends with Benefits

Yeah, I'm getting my dose of rom-coms recently. I'm testing the water, seeing if anything has changed in the rom-com game since Notting Hill. Well, it has changed, but not for the better. While these movies are good and they are well made, it's only because they all follow the same generic formula that it'd be near impossible to fail. Rom-coms used to be at least a little more original. This is one of the most generic rom-coms you'll find, and while Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake try to offer up something different with quick sharp dialogue and cool, confident, off-the-cuff characters, it's still the same old rom-com shit.

The best part of this, as always with rom-coms, is the kooky friend or supporting character. Richard Jenkins is awesome in it as Timberlake's father, as is Woody Harrelson as the crazy gay sports editor. In fact, Justin Timberlake isn't bad either, but Mila Kunis, while hot, is just super annoying. I'd hate to date a girl like that, she's so cocky and arrogant. I couldn't stand her incessant smart-ass, I've-always-got-an-answer-ready attitude. This film tries to offer up rules for rom-coms too, and it falls into the trap of its own rule; playing music at the end that makes you feel good so you feel better about the shit that you've just watched.


Yes, me too, funny.

Kunis has to start doing something with her career soon, because while she's hot now (and she knows it), that won't last forever, just ask Sharon Stone and Courteney Cox. Trixster was correct with his summation: It's a romcom that doesn't want to be exactly like every other romcom so it's only mostly like every other romcom.

B-