Friends With Benefits

Overview

When Harry Met Sally set the ground rules for this one: men and women can't be friends, because the sex thing always gets in the way. So what happens when you just allow the sex thing to happen?

Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in the second film this year to approach the topic can men and women just have fun, no commitment sex with their friends. The answer is, well, yes. They quite possibly could. But this is Hollywood and so if there's no over the top declaration of love at the end of the movie then you will come out feeling short changed. I hope that wasn't a spoiler, but really. If you've seen more than one rom-com in your life, you know how it goes- which is a little bit like this: Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is head-hunted for a lucrative position in New York by Jamie (Mila Kunis). Both have just come out of relationships and decide that they're over dating but they miss sex. As they become friends they also become lovers and, despite their best intentions, things get complicated.

The thing with this movie is that for half of it, they're trying to mock that Hollywood idea. The other half, they just get sucked into it themselves. That's not to say there's no laughs. Mila Kunis is droll and flexes her comic muscles well and Justin Timberlake, who's name we're going to have learn to write next to 'starring in' without flinching, is also cast well, but it does feel like he's a little unsure of himself in a leading role.

Directed by Will Gluck, who also brought us Easy A, there's enough laughs here to make it worth a look. Just don't expect Hollywood to breaking the rom-com mould any time soon.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FoKigdXnJzU