Review of Friends with Benefits (2011) by Hoops2448 — 06 Nov 2011

Its not a timeless classic but it works as a comedy, even before it works as a romantic comedy. The first thing to realise about Friends With Benefits is that although its story is incredibly similar to No Strings Attached, it couldn't be more different.

The endless comparisons between the two were bound to happen and to an extent thats a good thing because it shows how much better Benefits is. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis prove to be worthy leads as Timberlake has charm as well as natural talent while Kunis is a force to be reckoned with (If you forget Max Payne that is) who has some exceptional comic timing.

The supporting characters help flesh out the characters through a well written script which allows for a nice pace while also giving some much needed back story which Strings failed to do. Richard Jenkins will always be the supporting actor with so much more to say (see Burn After Reading and Let Me In) but he film manages to make that work through his characters problems.

The only real problem with Benefits is that its predictable but then again all romantic comedies are. The ending is rushed but manageable and the 3rd act takes longer than it really should but overall its a decent comedy with some extremely raunchy comedy that works in the films favour.

Oh and Flashmobs are just stupid. You're better than that Friends With Benefits.