Friends with Benefits...

     Friends with Benefits is the story of Dylan (Justin Timberlake), an art director from Los Angeles and Jamie (Mila Kunis), an Executive Recruiter from New York City.  They meet while Jamie is trying to recruit Dylan for a position with GQ in NYC.  After initial reluctance to leave his family and home life behind, Dylan is finally convinced by not only the company’s offer but also the excitement with which Jamie hypes New York.  Finally moved in and starting to get the feel of his new position, Dylan is really only left with one companion, Jamie.  One night, while lounging and watching a romantic movie together, the two begin to ponder the relationships they’ve seen presented onscreen over the years and why sex has to be so emotionally involved.  From there, they decide they can make a sexual relationship with no lingering romantic emotions work, thus becoming the titular friends with benefits.  This, naturally, leads to complications as the two are forced to deal with their ever-evolving relationship and their feelings for themselves, others and one another.  Here is the trailer for you to check it our for yourself...

     

     The first element of this movie that caught my attention was the look.  Whether it’s the shoreline on the California coast, the skyline of midtown Manhattan or the amount of good looking people who make up the cast, each is shown in a way that makes them decidedly desirable.

  

     The second element to catch my attention was Justin Timberlake’s acting… and I definatly mean that in an good way.  Though the man has obviously made strides to step up his many talents (see: The Social Network), he definitely comes off as an actor that is serious about making good acting choices.

     Though it earns its R rating, the movie cops out when it comes to the sex scenes. With the exception of a few shots of Timberlake’s ass, everything is strategically placed to avoid revealing too much flesh. If you (like me) were hoping for some nudity from Mila Kunis – forget it. Even her one ultra-quick ass shot is a body double. Ultimately the sex scenes, through relatively frequent, are way too tame to sustain any real interest. It’s not like I was expecting Showgirls or something, but come on – this is supposed to be a sex romp.

     Overall I would say that this movie was a very pleasent surprise.  My wife and I were not expecting to laugh half as much as we did.  Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below.