Health & Fitness
Movie Review - Friends with Benefits
When you get to my age and someone says "Friends with Benefits," you immediately think of "Friends with Health Benefits" and the resulting sham marriages.
Friends with Benefits – (2011) Rated R, for sexual content and language, 109 Minutes
When you get to my age and someone says “Friends with Benefits," you immediately think of “Friends with Health Benefits” and the resulting sham marriages.
Imagine my *cough cough* surprise when discovering this film is about two recently dumped people deciding to have sex without attachment.
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Whenever we see Justin Timberlake in a film, we think of taking out kids to see him at *NSYNC concerts. In movies, he always comes across to us as hesitant and unsure of himself. It works in this film because as a successful LA website content guru, Dylan is lured to New York by fast talking headhunter Jamie played by Mila Kunis, and he isn‘t quite sure what to make of it all.
Jamie rushes through the first half of the movie like someone having one too many quad lattes….while capturing the eye of the far more laid back LA-type Dylan. As part of the recruiting process, Jamie introduces Dylan to many of the public and more private places NYC offers. After he accepts a job at GQ magazine, they remain friends and share many quiet moments relaxing, watching old movies, and dreaming.
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After a long movie and some wine, the couple decides to play tennis (an euphemism in the film for sex) solely as friends. No strings attached.
And if you grabbed a piece of paper, you could readily outline the rest of the movie successfully. Its main plot is Romantic-Comedy 101.
What your plot line would miss are the supporting characters and how they add depth to the main characters. This makes the movie work.
Dylan and Jamie both have families…and you begin to see how their upbringing contributes to who they are today.
Jamie’s mother, Laura (Patricia Clarkson), is a free spirit from way back and goes through the film seemingly unsure of Jamie’s heritage because she doesn’t seem to remember the father.
Dylan’s father, Mr. Harper (Richard Jenkins), is suffering early Alzheimer’s and is cared for by Dylan’s sister, Annie (Jenna Elfman). Mr. Harper has times where Alzheimer’s has him “missing," and other glorious times when he uses his condition to his advantage.
While the families never meet, the characters spend sufficient time in each other’s worlds to add to their depth.
The additional depth add to the enjoyment of the film by providing context for any emotional barriers|baggage|hesitations…and at times leaves the audience wanting to shout to the screen for what the characters should do next.
One of Dylan’s work cohorts Tommy, played by Woody Harrelson, comes in and out of the movie for comic relief. The writers could have done more with openly gay Tommy’s character, deepening the relationship between he and Dylan. We would have liked to see this added dimension.
There may have been 30 women in the audience, generally twenty somethings, and only three guys during a 100+ degree day late in the afternoon. OK, so Friends with Benefits may qualify as a chick flick.
This guy found the film an enjoyable film with a fair number of laughs, a couple tears, and generally light fare. A nice way to beat the heat.
Castle Rock Entertainment’s Friends with Benefits gets a
Green Light – Go and enjoy
About the RAG scale:
Green Light – Go and enjoy
Amber Light – Use caution
Red Light – Save your time and money
The Author
Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994. His reviews are what he would tell friends, and are not an academic analysis.