Thursday 9 February 2012

Friends with benefits

I'm sorry to disapoint you if this title has mislead you into thinking that i have a husband and friends whom i throw myself at, but I am in fact talking about the newly released to dvd film starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.

   Not my usual cup of tea (not a huge chick flick fan) but thought we'd give it a go (seeing as it was free and involved a meal and chats with a friend). This film followed shortly after "No strings attached", which similarily bigs up casual sex, and the idea that sex is a physical need rather than something which should be emotionally attached. Friends with benefits was hoped that it would throw stereotypes of the chick flick out of the window by being a film (albeit funny) about sexual urges and how it should be perfectly natural to fulfil them without any added complications.

   Timberlake and Kunis interact well, and are quite sweet as a couple, there are some funny moments and the start of their casual rendez-vous does seem quite plausible. However, (you felt that coming didnt you?), the film obviously isnt just about sex, they obviously do fall for each other, and the whole thing is just one big hypocrisy. I know that it's a chick flick, I know that I would rather two people be in a relationship before/whilst having sex, however, the film just cops out on it's main theme by giving in to hollywoods cliches. This could be forgiven, if the script was wildly funny and the characters extremely likeable. However, I don't really feel that either. Timberlakes character works when he's being an idiot and just wanting sex, yet his vulnerable and softer side doesnt. Whilst I prefer Kunis when she's feisty and wild, the fact that she's supposed to be emotionally damaged and ultimately fragile, doesnt work either.

  On cinematic release, this film got average reviews, and many people enjoyed it. Honestly it didn't really do it for me. Not because it's got hypocritical morals and ideas (that i don't agree with anyway), and not because i don't like chick flicks to begin with, but because the characters are hypocritical and unlikeable, and the script wasn't funny or entertaining enough. And yes, honestly, if justin timberlake was ryan gosling, you might have had a different review. But, he wasn't. That in itself was a mistake.
2.5 / 5