Review: Friends With Benefits (2011)

DIRECTOR: Will Gluck.

CAST: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Shaun White, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone.

SYNOPSIS: After Jamie (Kunis) headhunts Dylan (Timberlake) for a job at GQ Magazine, the two become best friends after she spends a lot of time showing LA boy Dylan around the Big Apple. The relationship soon becomes physical and they are left answering that eternal question – can bed buddies be best buddies?

After loving every second of 2010’s Easy A, Will Gluck’s Friends With Benefits had a lot to live up to. It may not be superior to the Emma Stone-starrer, but it sure as hell tries its hardest and for the most part this pays off. With some brilliant back-and-forth from the minute Dylan and Jamie are introduced, it’s clear that Gluck hasn’t lost his touch with recurring jokes on scientology, John Mayer, Harry Potter and the Hudson River plane landing hitting all the right notes.

What I’m Watching – October

This list only includes films I watched for the first time this month. My most recent viewing is the top entry:

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (Dir: Steven Spielberg, 2011) *****

Anonymous (Dir: Roland Emmerich, 2011) ***

The Help (Dir: Tate Taylor, 2011) ***

The Three Musketeers (Dir: Paul W.S. Anderson, 2011) **

Contagion (Dir: Steven Soderbergh, 2011) ****

Real Steel (Dir: Shawn Levy, 2011) ***

Sixteen Candles (Dir: John Hughes, 1984) ****

Bridesmaids (Dir: Paul Feig, 2011) ****

Source Code (Dir: Duncan Jones, 2011) ****

Thor (Dir: Kenneth Branagh, 2011) ****

Easy A (Dir: Will Gluck, 2010) ****