(2011) 3 Alaina O'Connor Friends with Benefits is what No Strings Attached should have been -- snappy, clever, and refreshingly contemporary. Co-writer/director Will Gluck uses the same biting wit found in his film Easy A and easily breathes new life into a soggy genre that benefits greatly from the natural charm and smooth chemistry of its likeable leads, Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. The pair inject the film with a winning vitality, which should help audiences brush aside the initial sensation of déjà vu. Kunis and Timberlake are perfectly at ease with anything the script requires, from naughty-funny sex scenes to lightweight dramatic conflicts. Not only do they handle the tart banter with an assured, playful back-and-forth, but there's also chemistry between them that is quite palpable. Kunis plays Jamie, a corporate recruiter who's "emotionally damaged," and Timberlake plays Dylan, the new GQ art director, who's "emotionally unavailable." Being young, good-looking, married to their jobs, and frequently burned by other relationships, naturally they tempt fate by trying the sex-without-complications thing ("two people should be able to have sex the way they play tennis"), but the whole thing starts to feel a bit "college-y," and despite Jamie and Dylan's mutual declaration that they'll maintain a strictly physical relationship, emotions start to creep into their best-laid plans. Working from the sharply observed script by himself, Keith Merryman, and David Newman, Gluck mines healthy laughs by making fun of the current state of studio romantic comedies; however, much like the title implies, the film wants to have it both ways -- it decries the "lies" of Katherine Heigl movies yet follows a similar script; it shuns the cheesy rock stylings of John Mayer yet fills the soundtrack with acoustic versions of sappy pop love songs -- and, eventually, this postmodern vehicle proves guilty of adhering too closely to the tired conventions that it satirically pokes fun at. Hypocritical elements aside, Gluck not only draws terrific performances from Kunis and Timberlake, but also from the veteran supporting cast. Scene stealer Woody Harrelson plays an over-the-top gay sports editor and Patricia Clarkson shines as Jamie's aging '70s free-spirited mom. There's also an amusing, if not misplaced, cameo by pro-snowboarder Shaun White. While it's true that we all know the formula, when it works and the chemistry is just right we love seeing exactly what we expect and hope for, and Friends with Benefits delivers just that.

cast-crew for Friends With Benefits on AllMovie

Friends With Benefits (2011)

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Friends With Benefits

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Profanity
Sexual Situations

genres

Comedy

sub-genres

category

Feature

directed by

Will Gluck

countries

USA

release date

July 22, 2011 (USA)

run time

107 min.

produced by

Castle Rock Entertainment, Olive Bridge Entertainment

released by

Screen Gems

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cast

Justin Timberlake: Dylan

Mila Kunis: Jamie

Patricia Clarkson: Lorna

Jenna Elfman: Annie

Bryan Greenberg: Parker

Richard Jenkins: Mr. Harper

Woody Harrelson: Tommy

Nolan Gould: Sam

Andy Samberg: Quincy

Shaun White: Himself

Andrew Fleming: Driver

Catherine Reitman: Female Co-Worker

Courtney Henggeler: Flight Attendant

Masi Oka: Darin Arturo Morena

Tiya Sircar: Hostess

Christopher T. Wood: Ira Ungerleider

Emma Stone: Kayla

Lili Mirojnick: Laura

Rupak Ginn: Male Co-Worker (La)

Duane Shepard, Sr.: Older Man

Chike Johnson: Taxi Driver

Angelique Cabral: Pam Niborski

Lance Kerfuffle: Security Guard

Jerry Ying: Photographer

Jerry Hyman: Caricaturist

Nick Lee: Dylan's Neighbor

Jason Sung Lee: Dylan's Friend

Michael Morris: Carriage Driver

Brooklyn McLinn: Policeman

Timothy Bish: Dancer

Angel Feliciano: Dancer

Nicole Guidetti: Dancer

Mayumi Miguel: Dancer

Joanna Numata: Dancer

Wes Pope: Dancer

Seth Stewart: Dancer

LaJon Dantzler: Dancer

Laura Fremont: Dancer

Alicia Mazepa: Dancer

Jermaine Montell: Dancer

Danielle Polanco: Dancer

Steven Rosa: Dancer

Adam Zotovich: Dancer

Deanna Walters: Dancer

crew

Will Gluck: Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Janet Zucker: Producer
Jerry Zucker: Producer
Liz Glotzer: Producer
Martin Shafer: Producer
David A. Newman: Screenwriter, Screen Story
Harley Peyton: Screen Story
Keith Merryman: Screenwriter, Screen Story
Michael Grady: Cinematographer
Wende Crowley: Musical Direction/Supervision
Tia Nolan: Editor
Marcia Hinds: Production Designer
Bo Johnson: Art Director
Alicia Emmrich: Co-producer
Nicolas Stern: Co-producer
Glenn S. Gainor: Executive Producer, Unit Production Manager
Jim Tocci: Set Designer
Cindy Coburn: Set Decorator
Renee Ehrlich Kalfus: Costume Designer
Todd Michael Amateau: First Assistant Director
Lisa Miller Katz: Casting
Adruitha Lee: Department Head Hair
Albert M. Lewis IV: Assistant Art Director
Anthony J. Nahar: Second Assistant Director
Bernardo Rodriguez: Visual Effects Editor
David Waterman: Makeup
Douglas Dresser: Location Manager
Gradient Effects: Visual Effects
Greg Orloff: Re-Recording Mixer
Hope Slepak: Costumes Supervisor
Jason "Orion" Green: Hair Styles
Jeff Wischnack: Special Effects Coordinator
Jody Blose: Script Supervisor
Johnny Jos: Assistant Art Director
Jon Wakeham: Supervising Sound Editor
Kristine Mcpherson: Assistant Editor
Lance A. Gilbert: Stunts Coordinator
Linda S. Cormany: Key Costumer
Lynda K. Walker: Key Hairstylist
Matt Temple: Sound Effects Editor
Meredith G. Meade: Production Supervisor
Michael Karasick: Chief Lighting Technician
Michelle Vittone: Department Head Makeup
Olcun Tan: Visual Effects Producer
Paris Pickard: Art Department Coordinator
Ranjani Brow: Voice Casting
Raoul Bolognini: Visual Effects Producer
Roberta I. Bile: Key Costumer
Rocco Passionino: Visual Effects Supervisor
Sherry Whitfield: Music Editor
Stacey Clipp: First Assistant Editor
Steve Seine: Leadman
Sue Smith: Production Coordinator
Tateum Kohut: Re-Recording Mixer
Thomas Tannenberger: Visual Effects Supervisor
Tom Frazier: Special Effects Supervisor
Tommy Tomlinson: Properties Master
Tracey Levy: Makeup
Tracy Manzo: Key Make-up
Wendy Hoffman: Voice Casting
Zoic Studios: Visual Effects