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Film reviews

Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Friends With Benefits (Film)

by Joshua Blackman | August 17, 2011 10:12 | Edited August 17, 2011 10:51

This surprisingly whip-smart rom-com gleefully satirises genre conventions and is boosted by the electric on-screen chemistry between its two leads.

It was only a matter of time before someone took the ethos of Scream - the first horror movie about characters who had seen horror movies - and applied it to the romantic comedy. The result is Friend With Benefits, a fluffy but whip-smart rom-com that wants to have its cake and eat it too. Filled with jabs at genre conventions (especially in a pitch-perfect movie-within-a-movie featuring Jason Segel and Rashida Jones), Will Gluck's film ultimately falls back on the tropes it's satirising, albeit with a wink and a smile.

Mila Kunis plays Jamie, a New York headhunter who pilfers Justin Timberlake's Dylan from Los Angeles, and sets him up with a job as an online guru at GQ Magazine. Friendly sparks fly as soon as they meet, but they're both "emotionally damaged" and don't want to commit to anything more. Making an amusing oath over an iPad Bible (the film is almost nauseatingly tech-savvy), the pair agree to have emotion-free sex, and bicker with each other like long-time friends even while clutching at each other's perky bits. No prizes for guessing what happens next, but the film succeeds thanks to a witty script and an electric on-screen chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake. Clearly inspired by the classic screwball comedies, their fast-talking rapport sells the more customary turns of the plot.

 

Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson and Jenna Elfman provide fine support, though Richard Jenkins seems oddly out of place as Dylan's Alzheimer's affected father. The film was directed by Will Gluck, who helmed Easy A, Emma Stone's breakout hit from last year (she has a cameo as JT's ex-girlfriend). He's obviously a smart cookie, and refreshingly allows his characters to embrace their sexuality without a shred of guilt or regret. Much better than the more earnest No Strings Attached from earlier this year, Friends With Benefits is a welcome surprise.