Friends with Benefits

This is another one of those times where I ask that you do not judge me for seeing a movie.  In my defense, "Friends with Benefits" was much better than "Bad Teacher."  I will elaborate on that later on.

"Friends with Benefits" was directed by Will Gluck.  It stars Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, and Woody Harrelson.

Timberlake plays Dylan, an art director at a small internet company.  Jamie (Kunis) is given the task of trying to get him to work for GQ Magazine.  He comes to NYC, gets the job, and the two naturally becomes friends with benefits, because that's the name of the movie and because each of the characters have just gotten out of bad relationships, and now are soured on the whole dating thing.  They try desperately to not be like the average romantic comedy, since those movies spread vicious lies about relationships.  However, Dylan and Jamie develop feelings for each other and it all gets very confusing and complicated.  I bet nobody saw that coming.

The two leads have great chemistry with each other and are believable as a couple.  I can no longer ignore this fact: I now kind of like Justin Timberlake, and not just for that great Madonna song.  Mila Kunis is also becoming quite a movie actress.  However, the steal stealing takes place when either Patricia Clarkson or Woody Harrelson are on screen.  She plays Jamie's mother, who let's say is not the best mother and has had a lot of men in her life.  There's running jokes about the ethnicity of Jamie's father, since it's really anybody's guess.  I found this highly amusing.  Also, she is quite a cougar, who is perfectly fine with her daughter's stupid idea for a relationship and took the liberty of putting her number in her daughter's booty call's phone.  Woody Harrelson plays Tommy, a gay man who works for GQ and is constantly talking about it and asking Dylan if he's sure he's not homosexual.  After I saw "Zombieland," I decided I liked Harrelson a lot. I didn't think much of him on "Cheers."

This movie was consistantly funny the entire time.  This includes flash mobs, making funny of crappy romantic comedies, Dylan and Jamie tresspassing, climbing, and sitting on the Hollywood sign, and then having him taken off by helicopter, because he has a paralyzing fear of heights, and all sorts of fun things that I either don't remember or wouldn't at all be funny typed out.

If nothing less this movie teaches a valuable lesson about friends with benefits.  Do not do it.  It is dumb.  Actually, the movie almost taught us that lesson... However, it made a funny movie that I can actually recommend.

3 out of 4 stars

-Joseph Sbrilli