From the director of the refreshing Easy A, Will Gluck directs a lesser but still entertaining film that revisits the clichés of the genre it fells into. Friends With Benefits, wants to dissect and remodel the romantic comedy in a way that wnats to be something like a When Harry Met Sally. Two adults (justin Timberlake and beautiful Mila Kunis) become friends and one day decide to have all the sex without strings attached and the complications that comes with relationships. Even if the story provokes some funny moments others are pretexts to situations of bedroom humour.
The plot wants to be fresh and original, like every movie should be, and in the first and second act it reaches the goal it needs to achieve to brings us somewhere a Hollywood film doesn't really goes. However, the third act goes directly into the cliché and into the path the story tried to avoid since its beginning. A stronger script and the extraction of some filler moments could have benefited (obvious, I know) the film and keep a better pace to the story.
The work of Gluck is interesting because of a regular cast that seems to be built around him; Patricia Clarkson, Emma Stone, etc. A thing that I really appreciated in Easy A was the supporting cast that was very efficient and the construction of an effective supporting characters that isn't written for a lone purpose. the presence of Woody Harrelson is also surprisingly funny.
Even if you are not into the best comedy of the year, Friends With Benefits assures you a good laugh and a nice time. Worth a look for the synergy of the two leads and their general beauty.
I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It was a lot better than the similarly themed No Strings Attached. I didn't realize it was the same director as Easy A until after I had seen the movie, then I started remembering the little things I liked about it and how Easy A had been the same way (like the supporting roles you mentioned.)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen No Strings Attached first because it was a similar movie and second because the cast seemed lesser than average...
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Chip!