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Business rating: 1.5/5 stars
Star cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson.
What’s Good: The intermittent comedy, Mila Kunis’ performance, the entertaining dialogues.
What’s Bad: Justin Timberlake’s reason for commitment phobia is lame; the fall-out between the two friends in the climax seems forced.
Verdict: Friends With Benefits will not really reap any benefits at the Indian box-office.
Loo break: None.
Watch or Not?: Watch it for the hot scenes and rib-tickling conversations between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.
User rating:
Sex without strings. Where have you heard that one before? Oh yes, just when you thought Hollywood had learnt its lesson from No Strings Attached, they come out with one more been there, done that story. Fortunately, it’s the laughter and the dialogues that salvage Friends With Benefits from being the same old drama.
Jamie (Mila Kunis) is a head-hunter determined to get Damien (Justin Timberlake) to sign up for a job in New York. She doggedly pursues him and convinces him to take up the offer. Heartbroken since both of them have broken up recently, Jamie and Damien decide to be ‘friends with benefits’ – i.e. have a sexual relationship minus the emotions. Things spice up between the two even as friends warn them about the emotional bomb ticking between them.
Soon, Jamie decides that she wants a real relationship and stops sleeping with Damien, though the two remain good friends. She starts dating a doctor, but even that ends bitterly. When heart-broken Jamie’s hippie mother, Lorna (Patricia Clarkson), cancels their getaway at the last moment, Damien decides to take Jamie to spend the holiday with his family. Over there, Jamie realises that Damien is struggling with the fact that his father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. One night, Jamie and Damien get drunk and end up sleeping with each other again.
The following day, Jamie notices something amiss in Damien. Damien’s sister tries to convince him to get into a relationship with Jamie but he turns it down. Jamie overhears this conversation and storms back to New York. What happens next? Does love triumph all odds?
Friends With Benefits Review – Script Analysis
You probably just need the title to know what the movie is all about. Story writers Harley Peyton, Keith Merryman and David A. Newman probably haven’t bothered to make the story different and interesting. Rather, it is the screenplay, written by Keith Merryman, David Newman and Will Gluck, that keeps you somewhat glued to the screen.
Friends With Benefits Review – Direction & Cinematography
Will Gluck’s direction is just about alright. But one wonders if he could have done better with a better and fast-paced screenplay and also made better use of his cinematographer, Michael Grady. Jamie and Damien’s conversations are the most fun part of the movie, as their constant jibes at each other are enjoyable to watch.
Friends With Benefits Review – Star Performances
Mila Kunis makes everyone, especially Justin Timberlake, look pale because of her hot and fiery performance. While Mila manages to lift both the emotional and comic scenes, Justin barely scrapes by in the emotionally charged ones. Woody Harrelson (as Damien’s colleague Tommy) and Patricia Clarkson (as Jamie’s mother Lorna) add the much needed spice to the movie.
Friends With Benefits Review – Verdict
If you’re in for the laughs and want to watch the hot Mila Kunis (though not as hot as in Black Swan), catch Friends With Benefits for a bit of both.
