Why I Liked... Friends With Benefits (2011)

(Dir. Will Gluck Starring: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake)

Legit, it followed the generic romcom tricks and made them funny.

Too easy is it for characters to go ‘oh boo hoo, romantic comedies suck, stupid songs play and everything’s way too perfect’ and then the rest of the film continues on in that vein anyway. But! Because they gave us that line, it makes us think they were clever and actually abandoned that generic formula, but guess what, Hollywood? Not so clever. We can see past your trickery! We’re not idiots! (sometimes)

Don’t get me wrong though-Friends With Benefits isn’t exactly a great movie. Maybe a semi-good one, but only in Mila Kunis’ desperate attempt to pull off this potential vehicle while Justin Timberlake postures around to look cute whilst prancing in his boxers. Justin-have you no shame? Have you no acting talent? At all? I thought all of your Saturday Night Live appearances were a preface to something great.

I was wrong.

 Woody Harrelson being the Sassy Gay Friend helped a bit.

Ok, back to the film, hmm? Remarkably, the only thing this film really nailed (hah! Geddit?) was the male/female friendship between Jamie (Kunis) and Ryan (Timberlake). Minus the ridonkulous attractiveness of the stars and the sex, but I was pretty much watching my own interactions between me and my male friends. Brutal honesty masked with teasing humour, constant ribbing and accepting ridiculous challenges is what goes on. Well, at least for me it does. And to my best guy friends reading this-I raise my beer to you (this review has the potential to get sloppy. er.)

ANYWAY-so add in the sex, and suddenly Jamie and Ryan just can’t stop themselves even though they know it’s stupid and they don’t like each other That Way. I’m sorry, but that’s dumb. I thought the whole friends with benefits deal was that you were like, passively friends. Someone you could tolerate in a social setting, but really would never hang out with normally-and not because you don’t like them, but just because you...don’t hang out with them. Then nothing can get beyond the bedroom walls.

I am going so off-track in this review. Jeez. Um. Ok, something I absolutely hated? The product placement. Come ON! GQ everywhere, let’s use this Bible app on my iPad for a nauseating two minute bit, and whilst watching a fake movie, make sure that we know they’re watching it on HBO (NB: HBO is awesome, I acknowledge this in my prayers every night before bed). There was more, along with pointless cameos, but I gave up even thinking of trying to count them all, let alone recollect them.

Something interesting about this film however, had to be how they actually attempted to show how ‘damaged’ these characters actually are. Jamie with her abandonment issues stemming from her forever-lost father, and Ryan with his refusal to acknowledge the full extent of his father’s Alzheimer's. It didn’t work, but at least these two a)had families we met and who had a say in their lives, and b)there was an attempt to show how screwed up you can really get from your issues. Too often films tend to gloss over their hero’s problems within society-”oh, he’s emotionally withdrawn, but the end the of the film he’s cured! Hurrah!” We leave Jamie and Ryan still dealing with their emotional baggage, knowing that it’s still going to be something affecting them after the credits. Which was nice to see for once in a romantic comedy, I must say.

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack...

In general however, Friends With Benefits just didn’t...benefit me as an audience. Yes, it entertained, and it fell back on well-used and loved jokes about wacky relatives and ridiculous childhoods, but it aimed for too much, I felt. It tried to find that balance between utter sap and comedy, and for the entire almost two hours, it teetered dangerously between the two, never quite figuring out the magical combination (see: Annie Hall).

So I guess the failure with Friends With Benefits is the perfect metaphor for the idea of having an actual friend with benefits. You’re reaching for the lust and just-friendship balance, but inevitably, it gets a bit complicated and eventually falls flat of your objective.

Nice. I like metaphors.